Clematis ‘Vitiwester’ This is a viticella hybrid raised by Ton Hannick in 2003 and registered in 2010. It has a wonderful rich colour, a result of being a cross between C. viticella and ‘Westerplatte’.
Ton Hannick (1947 – 2021) died suddenly just as our Journal went to press last year. There is a fine tribute to Ton, by Marie-Laure Rauline of Javoy Plants, in that issue highlighting his skill at hybridising clematis as well as his passion for the genus. Thanks to Ken Black for the image on the front cover.
Clematis ‘Vitiwester’
Your Society
Welcome to our Journal, 2022-23 edition
Greetings from Lizzie Gibbison, Chair of the BCS:
Well, we have had quite a journey over the past year, but it’s getting better by the day and I’m still your chairperson! Ha! Gradually we are meeting more people with some kissing and hugging, not strangers you understand, but how lovely.
It is a shame we had to have another on-line AGM in April this year rather than meet in person. The meeting went very well but with a modest attendance. David Higginson from New Leaf Plants, based near Evesham, gave us an excellent talk, and the technical side went pretty smoothly. His talk brought back memories of when we had our nursery in Surrey. Thanks to all the members who attended. We do need your support. It is what keeps us going. The talk is available for members to view on the BCS website.
I know that our Midland Group is still going strong thanks to Charne and others who have taken up the baton from Josie who has done sterling work for so long. I thank you all for keeping it alive. A report of the Group’s activities is on page 18.
In June we were able to have a stand at the Specialist Plant Societies show at RHS Wisley. What fun we all had meeting up with other societies. It was like one big happy family. The footfall for the weekend was very good and we spoke to lots of people, including several BCS members. Throats were quite sore at the end, but it was well worth it. We sold a large number of clematis over the 2 days including the 2 large display pots.
I must thank all the BCS members who helped over the two days with some coming from quite a distance away on both days. Thank you.
We have exciting plans for a joint clematis and iris weekend on 22nd and 23rd April next year organised in conjunction with the British Iris Society. It will be held in the splendid new Hilltop building at Wisley.
It is with great sadness, as some of you will know, that this year we have lost Jack Gittoes,
CEZANNE ‘Evipo023’, one of Raymond Evison’s Boulevard clematis.
Margaret Morris, Jean Harley, Glenis and Eric Dyer, and a very prominent national figure and member of the Society, Dr Mary Toomey. They will all be sorely missed. Tributes to them can be found on pages 125 – 132. There may be others out there that we have not heard about.
Your committee has been working very hard to bring this issue of The Clematis to you. You should all be very proud of them. We are still very low on committee members so yet again I ask if there is anyone who would be willing to provide some support, no matter how small. That would be a big help.
It is pleasing that we are attracting new members to maintain our numbers.
Just a note about the clematis in my newish garden. All have reacted differently to this hot weather. Most have just produced smaller flowers but one or two have just shrugged their shoulders and flowered their socks off. Sadly, all my montanas have collapsed totally. I wonder if other members have experienced the same problems, if so please let us know by sending short notes through for the newsletter. That is what it is there for. It links us together wherever we are so helping us feel less isolated.
Hopefully in 2023 we can all meet up at the AGM. Wouldn’t that be great. It will be held on Saturday 1st April in Fladbury, Gloucestershire.
All the best to everyone Lizzie.
BCS AGM and National Meeting
Saturday 1st April 2023 10.30 – 3.30pm (times to be confirmed)
Venue: Fladbury Village Hall, off the A 44, near Pershore, Worcestershire, WR10 2 QB
Talk: Sezincote and it’s amazing garden
Free to members (donations welcome). Plant table, raffle. Hot drinks provided. Bring your own lunch.
‘Tie Dye’
The BCS during 2022: review of the year
Julian Noble, Hon. Secretary
We have all faced another difficult year due to Covid. Your committee continued to meet on-line using Zoom throughout the year. This enables us to meet every four to six weeks; our meetings lasting just over an hour. We decided it was prudent to hold our AGM online again, with papers sent out in advance to all members in our February newsletter.
The formal AGM was successful, although the attendance was slightly lower than in 2021. The talk by David Higginson about how New Leaf Plants grow over 1 million clematis for the nursery and garden centre trade was fascinating. I was impressed by their dedication to being peat-free including how they use some clay in their composts to assist with water retention. Their use of biological means to control pests and diseases in their glasshouses is to be applauded. Having successful and innovative growers in the UK is increasingly necessary now that it is difficult, if not impossible, for individuals to purchase plants from Europe and elsewhere.
All the current officers and committee members were re-elected unopposed. It is disappointing that no members have come forward to join the committee over the past three years. Our very small committee, now only six including the three officers, urgently needs support. We are able to co-opt members onto the committee at any time. Please do consider how you can support the BCS. Other ways to get involved include helping at the AGM (refreshments, sales table) and at the Wisley show later in April.
No other national meetings were held during the year; however our members’ group based in the Midlands restarted their meetings and garden visits – their report is on page 18.
C. ‘Apple Blossom’, one the early flowering clematis in the armandii group, with amazing large evergreen leaves
In June we had a successful publicity and sales stand at the Specialist Plant Societies weekend held at RHS Wisley, in Surrey. This was our first public event for over 2 years as Lizzie has reported. It was wonderful to be able to meet with the large number visitors to the marquee. The colourful display of clematis led to brisk sales, requiring us to bring additional stock for the second day of the event.
We were asked many challenging questions about growing clematis and why a particular plants wasn’t thriving. The hardest for me was trying to put a name to the description of a much-loved clematis, with no visual clue! Having the Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Clematis was a huge help in addition to Lizzie and Everett who have a much greater knowledge than I have.
National Collection of Clematis Montana Group. Val Le May Neville Parry has been seeking a way forward to ensure the wonderful collection of Clematis Montana Group that she has growing in her garden on the east side of the New Forest is not lost. September saw the start of this with the planting of several montanas in the gardens at Parham House in West Sussex. Val’s report on this exciting development is on page 98. I look forward to how this embryonic Dispersed Collection develops, with other gardens (both public and private) joining in to host plants as part this collection – hopefully a lot more to report on this over the next year or two.
BCS stand at RHS Wisley, June 2022
We have published several Newsletters during the year supplemented by “In Touch”, our e-mail only news-sheet. Some issues have been rather sparse, due to lack of items sent in by you, our members. Glenn Rowbottom does sterling work editing these but he needs much more copy again – another plea – please send in items, short or long, giving news an information about your garden, places you visited, your favourite clematis growing tips all of these would be most welcome. Photographs are most welcome too.
Regarding the newsletter your committee has taken the decision to send out future issues of both the Newsletter and In-Touch by e-mail only. The cost of printing and postage for even a small number has escalated to such an extent that it is draining away the Society’s income. Using email as our main communication channel to members brings us in line with most similar national societies. Communication by e-mail is now the norm.
We urge the small number of members who have not shared an e-mail contact address with us to do so. This may be your own personal one or it could be the email address of a family member or friend who is willing to receive emails on your behalf.
Lizzie and I will be writing to our members who have not shared an e-mail contact address with us informing them of this decision. We will mail out the full notice, the agenda and papers for our annual general meeting in February each year. In addition, you will receive our annual Journal, The Clematis, published in November/December each year.
Renewing Your Membership for 2023
Annual memberships are due for renewal on the 1st of January each year.
Ways to do this
ų By cheque addressed to the British Clematis Society and sent to the Membership Secretary at the address below.
ų By PayPal via the British Clematis Society Website www.britishclematis.org.uk
ų By Annual Standing Order Mandate which can be downloaded from the British Clematis Society Website or obtained from the Membership Secretary.
Whatever method you choose, please ensure that you provide an identification reference such as your name or membership number.
During 2021 volunteers continued to undertake the running of the society’s affairs which would be expensive to provide if the BCS had to pay for the external provision of these services.
During 2021 our expenditure was again low due to limited Society activity mainly due to Covid. Committee expenses were minimal with all meetings held on-line. Our main expenditure was on the production of our annual Journal. The society’s funds increased from £25,335 to £25,521 in the year ended 31st December 2021 so giving a small surplus of £186 for the year. The finances of the BCS still remain strong and the committee continues to monitor costs. The BCS faces challenges and changes and increased reporting requirements in our affairs, in line with our status as a charity and the society maintains specific reserves for such purposes.
BCS accounts for 2021
*The BCS financial year runs to the end of December.
Membership report, 2022
Ken Black
*Please note that Honorary memberships
During the year so far, we have welcomed the following 12 new or returning members: Siobhan Boughton, John Wilkinson, Carl Buch, Garfield Lewis, Peter Freeman, Sonia Morris, James Connolly, Ken Podmore, Chris Palmer, Daniel Kitchen, Szczepan Marczynski and Ann Fawcett.
BCS Newsletter and ‘In Touch’
Glenn Rowbottom, Newsletter and ‘In Touch’ Editor
Well we are slowly getting back to normal, but l think it is has developed into a new normal during 2022 for many of us. The very warm and dry summer badly affected several of my clematis in terms of growth and flowering and l am sure the membership will have suffered similar problems.
I found it particularly challenging for maintenance and watering and ‘climate change’ seem to be the watch words so let’s keep our fingers crossed. Both our Newsletters and “In Touch” have been well received by the membership, but again, I am reliant on a few loyal contributors across the year. However, given the disappointing limited print for the September Newsletter, I make a plea in the Journal for the membership to support the Society’s informative publications across the year with interesting news/information/pictures from your location. A short note and photograph will be well received. This is our way of ‘keeping in touch’ with you all. Best wishes for 2023 and onwards. Glenn.
C. ‘Princess Diana’
Seed exchange
Sadly, due to the lack of interest and subsequent poor demand for seeds, it has been decided to discontinue the seed exchange list after more than twenty years. The demand for seeds has been in decline for several years and so it is not unexpected.
It has been a dreadful summer in my garden and I will have very few seeds to collect this year. Additionally, I am sure that Mike Brown will not be too upset at the prospect of a less busy autumn/winter. My thanks go out to all those members who have contributed to the seed exchange over the years and particularly to Mike. Without his enthusiasm and huge regular contribution collecting and trimming seeds there would not have been an exchange. If any members still want to try seed propagation, I am sure that Mike may have some available in the future as I will. Either can be contacted by email in the normal way, or via the BCS Secretary.
Best regards. Paul Dunstan, Seed coordinator.
Clematis and Iris weekend
22nd and 23rd April 2023
Venue: RHS Wisley, Surrey, in the Hilltop Centre for Gardening Science. [a joint event with the British Iris Society]
BCS on-line talk: we plan to hold an online talk in February; details by email
Seed heads on ‘Bill MacKenzie’
Report from the Midland Group
Charne Griffiths
As I have written previously, in 2021 the Midland Group managed three garden visits between Covid 19 restrictions. Members were hopeful that we would manage our full programme of visits and meetings in 2022 but our events have been again somewhat curtailed. Due to an upsurge in Covid 19 infections we did not have our first meeting until 30th April. However, we were very pleased to welcome Ken Black to talk to us about ‘Early Flowering Clematis’. Members enjoyed the broad discussion and just being able to meet and talk together was a happy experience.
In May the group visited two gardens in Warwickshire, one with a nursery attached, and although neither had an abundance of clematis there were many other interesting plants to consider. The proposed June meeting did not go ahead for lack of attenders.
In July we had another successful get together at the garden of BCS members, Alison and Ben Smith, near Wotton under Edge in the Cotswolds. Alison is such a generous hostess and apart from the lovely clematis, the lunch and cake were such treats. Attendance at these meetings varied between twelve and twenty-five. The group is smaller than it was previously, and still covers a wide geographical area but members retain the desire to meet together when possible. Laurie Jones and I are trying to keep the group going with support from previous members of the committee and the members across the region. The photographs are all taken by Laurie Jones during the visit to Alison and Ben’s garden.
Midland Group with Alison and Ben
Alison and Ben’s garden
‘Etoile Violette’
BLUE ANGEL ‘Błękitny Anioł’
‘Dutch Sky’
‘Prince Charles’ on arch
‘Princess Diana’
‘Rouge Cardinal’ with Rosa ‘Sir John Betjeman
‘Tie Dye’
‘Sonnette’ ‘Suzy Mac’
‘Skyfall’ on pergola
International Clematis Society Report, 2022
Ken Woolfenden
After being postponed twice due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Society meeting in Denmark and Germany finally happened in July 2022. With twenty attendees from five countries, accompanied on the last couple of days by two more members, we had a wonderful six days visiting many different gardens including several of our members, two clematis nurseries in Germany, as well as other places of historical/cultural interest. The success of the meeting was a fitting tribute to Ton Hannink, who had the original idea but sadly died before it could take place.
When the COVID-19 pandemic appeared, the Society, keen to engage with our members, ran a webinar (online seminar). It was so successful that last year there were three webinars for members only plus two open to the public. This has continued with another three
A very floriferous C. AYAKOTM ‘Evipo112’
webinars for members only and one open to the public. Topics covered included “Clematis Inspiration from Members’ Gardens”, “Untangling the Viny Viorna” by Dwayne Estes, “Clematis on the Web”, “Clematis Register and Registration” by Sarah Holme, International Clematis Registrar, and “Clematis Contained”, growing clematis in containers by Linda Beutler and open to the public. You can view a recording of this public webinar by visiting the Society website at www. clematisinternational.com and clicking on the link on the left-hand side labelled “I.Cl.S. Webinars”.
We are now planning to hold our Constitutional General Meeting online and a series of webinars for 2023. At least one will be open to non-members.
Unfortunately, not all news is good news and the last 12 months has seen the death of several members; Dr Mary Toomey (Honorary Fellow of the Society), Eric and Glenis Dyer (Glenis had been one of my journal proof readers for some 20 years) and Lois Warren. A short tribute for each has been posted on our website, a more comprehensive tribute will appear in Clematis International 2023.
A fine trellis/pergola labelled “F. M. Westphal Straße” in honour of this nurseryman
With meetings typically taking at least a couple of years to plan, the Society will not be holding a meeting in 2023. We hope to hold one in 2024, especially since this will be the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Society. The location has yet to be determined.
Ken Woolfenden, Editor and Webperson, International Clematis Society
t has been both a privilege and a challenge to be editor for this issue of our Journal, as Ken Black had to step down from that role due to ill-health. Ken has done a really great job editing the past 2 issues. I am pleased to report Ken is now in much better health.
The range of articles this year focuses on several gardens; it makes me want to travel to see them especially ClematisBargeren, the garden of Jette and Lars Jensen in Denmark. It is overflowing with clematis, 600 at the last count! We are repeating a slightly edited version of an article written by Everett Leeds in 2001 about Thomas Cripps, who had a very successful nursery in Tunbridge Wells in the late 19th century. This takes us back to a different age; the list of his introductions, some of which are still seen in gardens today, is truly impressive. We have added images of some of them. During the past 12 months several members have passed away. Tributes to them are in Section 5.
Creating each issue of the Journal is a collaborative effort starting with our authors. I wish to record my thanks to this year’s authors. I trust you find their articles full of interest. Thanks to everyone who has provided the photographs this year. I hope the colour printing of the Journal does their photographs full justice. Also, Everett Leeds deserves thanks for his very special cartoons.
The main editing task has been mine with the help of a small team of proof-readers: my thanks go to Alison Booth, Charne Griffiths, Ken Black, Annette Stevens and Glenn Rowbottom for their help spotting any errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or the naming of clematis. However, I accept full responsibility for any mistakes that remain. My gratitude goes to my colleagues on your committee, Lizzie, Peter, Alison, Glenn and Annette, for their support, and trust they placed in me to deliver the goods!
Throughout this issue I have endeavoured to use the officially recognised names for clematis as shown in The International Clematis Register and Checklist that is maintained by the RHS. Also, thanks go to the nurseries that advertise in the Journal whose support assists with the cost of the publication. Finally, it is the work of The Graphic Design House and Bishops Printers in Portsmouth that bring such a well designed and printed Journal to you.
C. ‘Odoriba’
Section 2
Gardening lives and Clematis
Can clematis still be a hobby while being a professional clematis breeder?
Wim Snoeijer
The answer to that question is very easy: Yes. But, there is a but.... but the hobby is quite different to the targets for a professional clematis breeder.
In professional breeding the international DUS rules are generally a guide line. DUS stands for distinct, uniform and stable. As a hobby there are no rules or targets other than planting as many clematis as possible, I suppose that is what we all, as BCS members, do. It does not matter when colours of plants match or not, and making photos and collecting herbarium specimens are a nice hobby too. The hobby extends also to outside our own garden to make photos of clematis I come across in Holland at trips which means, while in the car, I shout “Stop, Clematis, photo!!!” (in Dutch of course).
My partner and I bought our present house in December 2010. Prior to this we both had our own houses but no garden. Well, I had a garden, 4 x 5 metres, but with a big Trachycarpus that grew well in the bare soil with stones as this was in the inner town of Gouda.
At the present site we have a big garden and it was inevitable that I started to collect and plant clematis. We have put up climbing fences using construction steel meshes which works well. It is hardly necessery to tie up stems because you can simply put the stems through the wire but I also have some clematis growing in trees, shrubs and pots.
Clematis FOREVER FRIENDS, BLUE RIVER and ‘Aureolin’
We bought clematis at garden centres and plant shops, from the nursery and I also got some from Mike Brown, Clematis’ ‘Mme Jeanne’ from Paul Dunstan, Clematis ‘Prosperity’ from Sheila Chapman and Clematis ‘Sophie’ from Richard Hodson.
I managed to grow flowering plants from seed like Clematis fusca and Clematis crispa, in fact, my oldest clematis I still have is Clematis ochroleuca which I raised from wild collected seed received in 1993. I have this in full soil with nothing added or changed to it and is about 50% peat and 50% clay. The plant has, in recent years, many stems with over 50 flowers.
If there is only one place to get inspired for clematis in the garden then that place is the home of Anne and Mike Brown, called “Clematis Corner”. Walking through their garden provides a long list of “I want that too”. I saw Clematis SUPER NOVA covered with flowers so I planted one at home which reached 3 metres in the first year, 2020, and gave about 40 flowers. What a good start that was.
Other clematis from my own crossbreeding we have in our garden are Clematis FOREVER FRIENDS, Clematis ‘Jan Fopma’ and Clematis PRINCESS KATE
On the climbing fence, Clematis FOREVER FRIENDS flowers together with BLUE RIVER and ‘Aureolin’, the photo was taken in 2013.
A few years later the fence went as the Prunus lusitanica, planted nearby to cover the neighbours’ kitchen window, took over the place and is now about 4 m tall and about a bit less in diameter. I replanted Clematis FOREVER FRIENDS under Aucuba japonica ‘Variegata’ and every year flowers pop out of the shrub as a surprise. I leave the clematis as it is; I do not prune the plant.
Clematis ochroleuca
Clematis SUPERNOVA
Clematis FOREVER FRIENDS, BLUE RIVER and ‘Aureolin’
Clematis ‘Jan Fopma’
Clematis ‘Jan Fopma’ in the garden is inevitable for obvious reasons and I have Clematis JOHN HOWELLS too but the plant has not flowered yet – the spot might be too shady.
From a commercial point of view, my best breeding is Clematis PRINCESS KATE and she flowers in our garden but at a place on the climbing fence which is not good for nice photos. The photo of Clematis PRINCESS KATE was taken at my uncle’s garden to whom I gave a plant in the year of introduction, 2012. He planted the clematis in a self-made wooden container which is in full sun so the soil and roots get very warm. Clearly the plant loves it; I took the photo in May 2020.
A clematis from the UK I have is Clematis ‘Mme Jeanne’ which Paul Dunstan gave me 4 or 5 years ago as a growing cutting. Two years ago I took some cuttings myself and now I have a few plants in one 10 litre pot with the stems growing on 3 bamboo canes 6ft long. Over the years I only had a single flower, last year and this year (May 2022) three flowers. After I took some photos I cut the plant down by half and put the flowers in between newspaper to dry them for herbarium. I mean digital photos are nice but I do not believe these can be seen in the year 2548 while the herbarium specimens still can be studied in the year 3196. [see note 1]
The plant was discovered in Paul’s neighbour’s garden and the neighbour’s name is Jeanne. Paul says that in the garden ‘Marjorie’ and ‘Mayleen’ are grown and he is pretty sure that ‘Mme Jeanne’ is a seedling from a chance cross between these two montanas. The treasure I want to address is Clematis terniflora. The reason is that I raised the plant from seed given to me by Dr John Howells in 2002. John had 5 seeds sent by his Japanese friend Shirashi and the seeds were wild collected at Sakamoto-mura, Kumamoto. One seed germinated and if you have only room for one clematis in the garden, this is the one. Flowering time varies a bit from year to year but mainly in September / October. The first flowers may be open as early as late August, the last as late as early November. Of course the plant needs space and the plant can be pruned to about ground level every winter.
Clematis ‘Mme Jeanne’
Clematis FOREVER FRIENDS & Aucuba
Clematis PRINCESS KATE
Clematis terniflora
Clematis ‘Mayleen’
Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’
Clematis ‘Perle d’Azur’ and Rosa ‘New Dawn’
Clematis ‘Mayleen’ at Keukenhof
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ and Clematis ‘Hagley Hybrid’
The stems will grow to about 5 to 8 m long, covered with flowers. An absolute bonus is the scent which you can smell, on a good day, 20-30 metres away. Of course this account is only for this clone, other nurseries will, or might, have their own clone.
Over the years I have given many talks about clematis, mainly in Holland but also abroad like at BCS meetings, but also in Germany, Canada, the USA and Japan. Talking at garden clubs I mention that most clematis like their roots in moist soil in a shady place because most of the climbing clematis have a kind of woodland border origin. This was until 2020 when, while we were in the car, I shouted “Stop, Clematis, photo!!!” (in Dutch of course). In a Dutch village we came across growing and flowering together Clematis ‘Perle d’Azur’ with the pale pink Rosa ‘New Dawn’... in full sun... most of it against a wooden wall painted black... in pavement with hardly any open soil around the plants... and no leaking rain pipe. Of all sites possible, I would never advise to plant a clematis there but look at the photo; isn’t this what we all want?
Taking photos of flowering clematis in gardens became a kind of hobby too, like the photo of Clematis ‘Perle d’Azur’. I have to admit, it is quite difficult in Holland. In April it is easy though because of all the montanas in flower and the montanas seem to be the group of clematis that survive well in Dutch gardens. Clematis ‘Mayleen’ was introduced in Holland by Jan Fopma who imported the plant from Jim Fisk. Jim Fisk introduced the plant in 1984. It is a wild guess but the plant on the photo might be 30 years old by now.
As a wonderful surprise I walked into Clematis ‘Mayleen’ at the Keukenhof in early May 2022. Arches covered with ‘Mayleen’ in a formal lay-out design with square flower beds and straight paths with Taxus cut in a conical shape for contrast against the arches and the square flower beds. I have to admit; the clematis can and never will cope with the red tulips but it was nice to see clematis at such an international renowed garden setting anyway. Clematis from the Patens Group (flower bud upright / flower upright) or, if you prefer, Large Flowered Group, are hard to find in gardens. But Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’ seems to grow in the right place and Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ and ‘Hagley Hybrid’ having a great time as I know the plants are there for many years.
Clematis ‘Mevrouw Le Coultre’ is named in honour of Catharina Wouters (1857-1937), who married Hendrik Le Coultre (1858-1927) in 1885. Hendrik Le Coultre became Mayor of Boskoop (1884-1895), The Netherlands. This Clematis was named after his wife during his period of Mayor in Boskoop. The Dutch title Mevrouw reads Madame in English.
This plant is not a synonym for Clematis ‘Marie Boisselot’. The usual rumour is that the name Marie Boisselot is supposed to be the maidenname of Mrs Le Coultre, but, as can be read, that is not true. Jan Fopma passed away in 2018 and many years before that, probably 20 years or so, he contacted the Dutch Le Coultre family and the family confirmed that there were no relations with clematis whatsoever.
On a pergola I discovered Clematis ‘Rhapsody’ trying to reach the top of the standard. I suppose it never will. I have never seen Clematis ‘Rhapsody’ growing that tall. The combination with the variegated Aucuba is perfect, in colour and shady place for the clematis. A better alternative would be Clematis ‘Jackmanii’, still a top climber for the garden.
This clematis is perfect with any climbing rose whether a white rose, pink, salmon or red rose, Clematis ‘Jackmanii’ will match.
I have Clematis I AM LADY Q in the garden combined with the climbing rose ‘Westerland’. For my eyes the colours do not match but the plants, neither the rose nor the clematis, have ever complained.
The plants grow in what we call “a converted, roofed haystack”. The standards to hold the roof with the thick steel cables are still present and every winter I tie up the clematis stems in a bundle. I do not prune the stems but I only prune the weak top growth where the flowers were the previous year. That means the bundle is about 3 metres long. The top growth might be dead but will act for the new shoots to cling on to; that is easier than the steel cable. On the left you see the rose, on the right Ficus carica ‘Peter’s Honey’ that will provide shade for the clematis and for the black painted wooden wall (the black paint being imposed by local regulation).
Another strong clematis from my breeding is Clematis PERNILLE which is a real joy to have in the garden at a shady spot.
The two-coloured flowers light up the shady place and is easy to grow on the trellis, the flexible stems can be put easily through the gaps of the wire. As the flowers pop out of the growing stems, you can see in the flower also when they grow at 2 metre height. I have no other plants nearby as this clematis does not need a contrast plant. By the way, the photo is probably misleading when you recognize the leaves on the right hand side; strawberry leaves. When you look closely you will recognize the hanging basket too. The clematis world changed in 2006. The reason was the introduction of
Clematis ‘Rhapsody’
Clematis ‘Mevrouw Le Coultre’
C. I AM LADY Q and Rosa ‘Westerland’
C. I AM LADY Q and Rosa ‘Westerland’ without leaf
Clematis BLUE PIROUTTE as a cut flower. Prior to this introduction a lot happened. When I got interested in clematis I quickly learned about clematis as a cut flower because this was mentioned in gardening books and also in floristry school books in which Clematis ‘Durandii’ and Clematis ‘Prins Hendrik’ were the two main cultivars. This is in books before WWII. I also quickly learned about ‘Durandii Pallida’, the so called “pink” ’Durandii’. The story about Clematis BLUE PIROUETTE and Clematis INSPIRATION is known; it is not necessary to repeat that here and when I had seen clematis cutflower production in Japan I brought this information home. Marginpar was our contact and as trader for cut flowers from Africa, Clematis BLUE PIROUETTE was first sold at the FloraHolland Aalsmeer flower auction in 2006. For me personally it is a real joy to be able to buy clematis cut flowers in winter and to be sure this is saved for the future, I dried cut flower stems for herbarium too.
To go back to the UK, I have Clematis aethusifolia from Mike, for several years now, in a 20 litre pot. I overwinter the pot in a cold greenhouse and in summer the pot itself is on the shady side of a wooden water barrel so that the pot does not get warm while the plant is in full sun for a few hours. Again, like Clematis SUPER NOVA, the plant does not flower as profusely as at Mike’s place but in 2021 there were about 50 flowers on stems about 1.5 m long. Pruning with scissors is not necessary, all stems die back to soil level in winter and are easily removed by hand. I dried some stems in 21 September 2021 and wrote about its origin on the label. A herbarium specimen from Mike’s plant from 19 July 2009 states that he had the plant from Denny’s Clematis in 2002.
Clematis PERNILLE
Clematis BLUE PIROUETTE Herbarium specimen: Clematis BLUE PIROUETTE
Clematis ‘Jackmanii’
Over the years I collected many clematis herbarium specimens, total number I am not sure about but probably somewhere 7000 or 8000. Most of my specimens are online at the Naturalis Biodiversity Portal, simply search at and then type Clematis at [ scientific name ] and my surname Snoeijer at [ collector ].
Today, main Herbaria in the world have their collection online and the number of species and specimens is enormous. You can search and study the specimens at home at your computer screen which is a nice hobby for the long winter evenings.
A few recommendations for Clematis herbarium specimens websites to start with:
Naturalis Biodiversity Portal = https://bioportal.naturalis.nl/ Royal Botanic Gardens Kew = http://apps.kew.org/herbcat
National History Museum London = https://data.nhm.ac.uk/dataset RHS Wisley Herbarium can be searched at https://plants.jstor.org/ but you need permission to view the specimens
If you want to know if the botanical name is internationally accepted or not, you best check the website Catalogue of Life = http://www.catalogueoflife.org/ A good name to start a first search with is Clematis brachiata or Clematis fusca.
While I am writing my last sentences for this article I am no longer a professional but a self-employed clematis breeder. Never mind that, as you just have read, my clematis interest is as wide as the planet is. I love clematis, I am clematis, clematis is part of me and I will continue to study the genus, plant more plants, will raise even more from seed, will keep on making herbarium specimens but most of all, will enjoy the flowers in the same way you enjoy them too.
Editor’s note:
The RHS Herbarium is now based in the new Hilltop building, the Home of Gardening Science, at Wilsey. During the Specialist Plant Societies weekend held in June 2022 the Herbarium had a small display of pressed specimens from their collection; this included two that Wim had donated to the RHS.
Clematis aethusifolia
The View from Clematis Corner: 2022
Mike Brown
Another year has sped by and in this part of Oxfordshire the weather has been more suitable for growing cactus than clematis, with the result that a lot of the pleasure of gardening has been absent this season. Instead gardening, at present, has become something of a chore. Late last autumn (2021) I decided to tidy up a timber pergola, nothing mega I thought, however each bit I checked was far worse than expected so in the end it finished up a major task. More on that somewhere else perhaps but obviously the manhours spent on that greatly limited what else I could achieve in the so-called quiet period of the year.
Mother Nature took her time in deciding when the end of the growing season would occur, and it was very late December before the clematis started their winter rest. As it was far from a proper winter (compared to years gone by) growth was apparent much sooner than normal, so pruning became almost a full-time job and was still not finished by April. The winter was that mild most of the time that the weeds just ignored it, and we had a wonderful crop of them all the time.
Clematis ‘Summer Snowfall’
As we gradually age, we tend not to notice how much longer the same routine tasks take until it suddenly hits us when we are a degree or so under. I find having to accept help is not easy (as no one does it like we do, do they?). Eventually, however, we usually find that others do things equally as well as us, or even better, and we then wish we had accepted help sooner (before we got so far behind!).
Normally, I do not comment on recent clematis introductions because so many are very similar to clematis already with us, that have stood the test of time. It is easy to understand why people do this because so many gardeners will always go for a plant with NEW on the label. Sometimes this is only NEW to the people selling it. It could have been available from other sellers for some time! However, this year I make an exception and it’s for two quite different clematis.
The first is from the Texensis Group and is named ‘Coconut Ice’, a beautiful colour combination of pink and white, lovely, good sized tubular shape and it flowers over a long period, June, July, August and September. Whilst most clematis with texensis in them are prone to suffer from mildew partway through the season, the plant I have had for a year has been mildew free so far. In any case there are some good fungicides still around that will mostly prevent mildew and of course the good growing practice of ensuring plenty of air in and around the plant coupled with keeping the root area as evenly moist as possible will often allow you to be free of chemicals. For those who do not mind using chemicals, a monthly dressing of sulphur (from Feb to Aug) to the soil area around the plant is a proven method of staying mildew free.
My other interesting clematis is from the Herbaceous Group, named C. heracleifolia ‘Summer Snowfall’, obviously white and quite short, whilst not as small as the existing Blue or Pink dwarfs it is less than 1 metre in height and reasonably compact. Until now, the only whitish heracleifoila type has been ‘Sander’, a seedling of C. potaninii var. fargesii (suspected of having heracleifolia pollen involved in its creation). ‘Sander’, white with blue edging, can, like many in this group, easily reach over two metres in height and spread, so a more compact version is most welcome. I have always found that good patches of white are important in the garden to bring out the best in plants of other colours. Whilst no scent is claimed, the small tubular flowers are very attractive. For those not familiar with these easy to grow heracleifolias, some are sweetly scented. They all have small tubular flowers, mostly of various shades of blue to dark purple and many
Clematis ‘Coconut Ice’
are attractive to bees, quite a bonus. Master Clematarian Wim Snoeijer first introduced me to ‘Summer Snowfall’ last year.
In fact, Wim has been extremely generous to me since I first started a National Collection of Herbaceous Clematis many years ago. He has been just as generous to many other collectors over a very long period. I also obtained seed of this plant some 6 months ago and currently have over 40 strongly growing seedlings in one litre pots. It will be interesting to see if any of them flower white and if any are scented. It will also be interesting to see how many I can manage to keep alive to reach maturity, what with everything else I am behind with. I have two small true plants of ‘Summer Snowfall’ that may or may not bloom this year, in fact at least one of them will be used to produce more heracleifolia ‘Summer Snowfall’ plants so that it can be grown more widely in this country. Enjoy your Clematis. Mike Brown
PS. At 90, it’s now time I put my quill away and handed over to some of you youngsters in your fifties and sixties. Come and tell us your stories about the joys and heartaches of growing Clematis.
Clematis ‘Summer Snowfall’
Clematis ‘Summer Snowfall’
Water, soils and the growing of healthy clematis
Alison Booth
We know, don’t we, that water forms the main constituent of fluids found in all known living organisms including our beloved clematis? Many times I have read or heard that clematis are both unusually hungry and thirsty plants – not surprising considering the annual growth of, for example, group 3s which are hard pruned annually. However, I now believe I have over the 20 years of growing clematis in my small suburban garden, vastly underrated how much more water they needed than they actually received.
My inexperience of my clay soil, initially devoid of top soil, and the increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, has led to my loss of many varieties in the early years. All water’s properties are critical for living organisms to thrive. As a solvent for metabolic processes (bio-chemical reactions) it is fundamental to both plant photosynthesis and respiration dissolving and transporting both organic and inorganic nutrients from and to soil and air. It is such a good solvent it has been termed ‘universal’, and within all cells nearly always contains dissolved substances. It dissolves life giving
Clematis ‘Huldine’ – premature brown leaves and smaller flowers
gases such as carbon dioxide and oxygen and is in solution with proteins, DNA and sugars. Also, any gardener will have experienced how water provides the ‘backbone’ of plants too – wilting or drooping being an obvious sign of water depletion. The internet and literature is copiously supplied with extremely variable advice on watering clematis. Some say a deep soaking once a week is better than watering little and often – others recommend a regular uninterrupted supply! What many commonly fail to mention is the need to understand the type of soil the gardener has to work with and the type of clematis grown. My young garden was devoid of much organic matter and highly compacted. The much-missed organic matter, such as garden compost, leaf mould and well-rotted manure, would have had a great affinity for water so aiding water retention as well as opening the soil for healthy drainage. Clematis are tolerant of a range of soil types but clearly grow best in deep, fertile and moist soil which is also well drained. A healthy thriving garden starts with good soil and a suitable watering regime – one best suited for the types of plants we grow. Knowing your soil is even more important as clematis growers contend with extremes of weather hitherto not experienced. In spring this year, my clematis have been exposed to near drought conditions through April and May, while in 2021, May was the wettest May on record in my area. Now, in August 2022, we have just been declared officially in drought conditions with associated hose bans which include watering systems. Also in the UK, we have for the first time experienced a recorded 40oC. My garden is parched, grass is yellow, and my clematis are variably showing brown crispy leaves and very small flowers if any.
Healthy C. ‘Comtesse de Bouchard’
Clematis ‘Wisley Cream’: poor development of new green leaves
Clematis ‘Bill MacKenzie’
My C. montana ‘Broughton Star’ in full sun against a wall, is shrivelled and brown. I am hoping it has only gone into summer dormancy (aestivation). In full sun however, with no additional water C. tangutica ‘Bill MacKenzie’ is flourishing. The former has a younger root system but the difference between the two is extreme. Literature suggests that C. vitalba ‘Old Man’s Beard’ is said to be drought tolerant, but even so requires a dependable water supply when young. Leaves turning prematurely brown – leaf scorch, can result from too much or too little water. But this year, much larger areas of leaf from the base up are brown, for example, C. ‘Princess Kate’, C. ‘Perle D’ Azure, and new C. ‘Sea Breeze’. Interestingly, individual vines seem to be affected leaving others green.
When one considers the volume of growth put on in 2 months of my many viticellas, the need for vast quantities of available water to fill the millions of new cells created is constant, regardless of climate change. I have read that viticellas which grow from hard pruning every year, require a minimum of 5 litres of water a week. In hot weather they will tolerate 5 litres per day! Marcel Floyd has previously recommended 2 gallons a week at the start of growth. But surely it depends on the health and type of your soil too.
So why is the nature of your garden soil so fundamentally important for the health of clematis plants? The water retention of the soil depends on the pore space between the formed soil particles. Generally, the 3 types of soil for consideration here are sandy, clay and silt. Each is constructed with particles of characteristic sizes. Sand has relatively large particles, clay very small and silt moderate. The large particles of sandy soils have a low
Herbaceous C. x diversifolia ‘Blue Boy’
Clematis ‘Perle d’Azur’ – brown Leaves
Tall clematis up tree C. montana var. grandiflora
SEA BREEZE ‘Zo09063’: smaller flower
pore space so water content is not high from the start. Clay soil particles are tiny with abundant pore spaces where water moves more slowly, so therefore have the highest water holding capacity. Clay is also however more prone to water logging, while silt will always out perform clay and sand for how it receives and retains water supplies.
Water moves by gravity and independently by capillary action into the open pore spaces in soil. The narrow capillary acting spaces between clay particles aid water movement unlike in sand. In sandy soil, the far fewer capillaries cause movement of water to be less efficient. It is also worth noting that a clay soil which has dried out and is barely damp, can be highly resistant to letting go of the remaining moisture, putting any thirsty clematis in peril. Watering when the top 2.5 centimetres of soil feels dry, before the soil dries completely, will prevent this.
The same capillary forces enable volumes of water to rise against gravity up the stems of even our tallest varieties such as C. montana var. grandiflora. It rises in tubes known as xylem, but, interestingly, in clematis these are relatively few in number and they are larger in size. Both these characteristics make the genus vulnerable to water shortages. Stems with a large number of smaller diameter vessels are much better able to cope with water stress. Knowing the characteristics of your soil and its relationship with water will enable clematis growers to better prepare the ground and care for our plants both annually, and over time, as we face and adjust to the modern vagaries of our weather. Recent estimates by interested parties have predicted severe water shortages by 2050 in the UK and the southeast especially. Personal consumption may be rationed, so growing particularly thirsty plants will have added challenges.
The types of root system, varying between clematis groups, all share a network of fibrous roots with few feeding tap roots and are at the mercy of the conditions provided in the soil. It is the fibrous roots that take up water and nutrients from the soil and are therefore precious. Whichever month you choose for pruning your clematis I expect, like me, it means some walking on the soil between plants. This compacts the soil greatly, squeezing out the oxygen needed for the roots. A healthy soil also has a good balance of aerobic microbes which suffer in these conditions of oxygen depletion. I have sometimes used a plank to stand on to reduce the forces of compaction under my feet.
Planting of clematis, whether you choose the recommended spring or autumn timing, requires some working of the soil. If the soil is waterlogged at the time, the root space for life giving oxygen is further depleted. Air can’t move well in saturated conditions so the root system is again compromised. A clay soil in particular, retaining most water, but all soils in general, can be easily damaged when worked if wet, so best avoided if at all possible. Adding organic matter can open up the soil as well as add nutrients. The addition of horticultural sand can also help if required. Loose soil to at least 1 metre provides good aeration and drainage for those delicate fibrous roots. Experienced gardeners will know to soak both the root ball of the clematis to be planted and the hole prepared to receive it. Water deep down encourages roots to grow towards it helping to prevent future water stress. Mounding up the soil to make a circular dam around the base of the planted clematis further focuses the flow of water to exactly where it is needed.
Soil chemistry including its pH (degree of acidity) is a direct result of the unique properties of water and its interaction with the both organic and inorganic materials which make up whole soil. Clematis, although not too fussy, is said to enjoy a pH of 6-7, (mildly acidic to neutral) which assists in the release of minerals such as nitrogen, iron, zinc and copper from the soil. Tap water generally has a higher pH than optimum – that is, less acidic. Rainwater with a pH under 7, collects carbon dioxide as it falls becoming more acidic. Tap water also has concentrations of chloride and fluoride – certainly in my district, for sanitary purposes. These can accumulate in the soil but chloride levels
C. ‘Viola’
Watering tube for ‘Dark Eyes’
C. ‘Star of India’ – growing through shrub
C. ‘Victoria’ on
are low and even though they can negatively affect the soil bacteria, bacteria can reproduce and recover very quickly. Rainwater collected in butts doesn’t last long with so many thirsty plants, so I do use tap water distributed through a leaking watering system (I have a lot of clematis). This means the water is delivered directly to the base of the plant, cuts down wastage and seems to work best in my garden with top ups to targeted plants as needed.
Plants not having access to the watering system have a watering tube inserted at the time of planting – an empty plant pot would also work. This prevents surface evaporation and further wasting of water resources and directs the water to the thirsty roots. This technique also maintains dryer conditions at the surface level of soil deterring slugs and snails which relish the tender growing shoots of clematis. However, some water is required to the roots nearer the surface too. A variety of mulches also hugely prevent surface evaporation and good hydration is a key factor to prevent disease such as mildew. Recent thinking by enthusiasts has led to the idea that perhaps it is not shaded roots that is the essential environment for clematis, but rather an adequate supply of water. Even the long fleshy roots of certain clematis groups suck up water at an amazing rate. Maybe some of the diagnoses of clematis wilt in my group 2s was actually merely water stress – I’ll never know.
A commonly read recommendation is to grow clematis through shrubs and even up trees to provide for a more natural appearance. This practice has contributed to some of my losses as the shrubs and trees not only acted as a natural umbrella but competed for the available water, so even closer attention needed to be given to watering. The same can be said of pots when the fully grown clematis can prevent rain falling onto the shaded soil beneath. I have a walled garden which ‘cries out’ for clematis to be grown around the boundary. Walls extract water from soil, can heat up significantly and prevent rain from wetting the surrounding soil. The ‘Queen of Climbers’ should not be planted less than 30-45 cms away from a fence or wall. I learned quite late that the very small flowers I sometimes achieved on even large flowered viticellas was a sure sign of water depletion. Then, I needed to have really soaked the plant, keeping in mind to replace any nutrients which may be washed out in the process.
Finally, the most recent challenge for growing clematis in pots and raising from seed is the development of peat free composts. They have already become notorious for failing to wet again once dried out to any degree. This can be a problem too for pure peat (partial decomposed litter). Peat soils have the best water holding capacity, at saturation up to 90% and can act like a sponge. To replicate this, garden soil would need up to 23% of organic matter. Let’s hope this important development to save our moorland peat becomes increasingly popular with gardeners as alternatives improve.
Thanks to Ken Black for some of the photographs in this article.
Note 1:
C. ‘Victoria’ was introduced by Thomas Cripps in 1870, see article on page 74.
Just taking a look at the ever-expanding plants in our national collection of Clematis viticella cultivars one is struck by how many of the varieties from the 1800’s are still around and popular today. Some personal favourites are ‘Kermesina’ AGM raised by Lemoine in 1883; I especially like the way that I can get it to climb to the top of a 20’ evergreen Pittosporum and flower across the top and down the sides with flowers that are bright enough and abundant enough to see from a distance.
Another good red from just a little later is ‘Madame Julia Correvon’ introduced by Morel in 1900. It is large for this group; the red flowers make a real impact. But I think my personal favourite has to be x diversifolia ‘Eriostemon’, the original cross in 1835 between C. viticella and C. integrifolia that forms its own section diversifolia. Although this cross has been done many times since and produced many fine named plants x diversifolia ‘Eriostemon’ is still, for me, the best with lovely stiff stems and scent making it a very good cut flower and its never likely to swamp its host either!
‘Kermesina’ AGM, growing up Pittosporum x diversifolia ‘Eriostemon’
When it comes to “Something new” unfortunately breeders sometimes add “Viticella” to their descriptions and when you see the plant it is a group 3 but a large flowered hybrid and not very viticella like at all! Two do deserve the name. The first is the very lovely ‘Lavender Twirl’ grown by our very own Jack Gittoes from BCS seed. At first glance this can seem ordinary but give it somewhere to ramble up and through and it is an absolute delight, and it is also lovely to have a plant to remind us of Jack who sadly is no longer with us. The second is ‘Carlien’ raised by us and named in honour of my nephew’s wife. We sowed seed off ‘Hanna’ when we first grew that. I had been impressed by ‘Hanna’ and collected open pollinated seed. The resulting seedlings were lined out on bean sticks, and most were blue and not any better than ‘Hanna’ and ended up on the compost heap, but two were a lovely shade of pink. We grew these on for a further couple of years and selected the better grower and flowerer, since then it has been an absolute star.
You can’t really “Borrow” plants, but you can certainly pinch other people’s good ideas! A couple that have saved me a lot of time over the years have been the trusty watering tube made from a cut off plastic bottle and placed in with newly planted Clematis. This reduces considerably the amount of watering and increases the effectiveness of any you do give. The second is using “Stock fencing’ on my walls to grow climbers up, saving hours of faffing about with wire and wall plugs! Stock fencing, if you have not come across it, is square galvanised netting, the squares are normally around 6 inches (15cm). It is heavier duty than chicken wire and soon blends in.
‘Madame Julia Correvon’ on left with ‘Walenburg’
‘Lavender Twirl’
‘Carlien’ Stock fencing
“Something blue” should be easy as there are lots to choose from, but straight away you come up against a problem in that people’s eyes (and cameras) all seem to register blue in different ways. Even the light at different times of the day changes the colour. Two good reliable blues here are ‘Emilia Plater’ and ‘Prince Charles’ although if you prefer a more nodding flower ‘Morning Heaven’ is rather lovely.
An advert for Charlie’s garden and nursery in Cornwall is on page 51.
‘Emilia Plater’ ‘Prince Charles’
‘Morning Heaven’
Saving threatened clematis plants – C. montana var. rubens ‘Veitch’
Val Le May Neville Parry
In 2006 Wim Snoeijer arrived at By The Way with two wonderful montana plants –the dear little ‘Veitch’ and the stunning ‘Sir Eric Savill’, which sends out occasional bursts of flowers into autumn, after initial spectacular blooming in late spring. Chris and I had just completed a 6’ extension onto the southern end of our lounge, perfect sites, east and west, for two such lovely plants.
Both plants thrived and attract much admiration from visitors. As a direct result I have been able to return a rooted cutting of ‘Sir Eric Savill’ to the Savill Gardens.
C. montana var. rubens ‘Veitch’
In 2020, I entered a picture and description of C. montana var. rubens ‘Veitch’ into the inaugural Plant Heritage ‘Threatened Plant of the Year’ competition. Both ‘Veitch’ and ‘The Jewell’ reached the last eight and I was delighted when ‘Veitch’ was announced as winner. The judges loved the history – that my little plant was found at Roundway, Devizes, the home of John and Sarah Phillips. It was grown from seed brought back from China by E.H. Wilson in the early 1900s. Luckily the late Dr John Howells had collected cuttings from the garden shortly before it was sold to a builder who subsequently demolished and re-built the house, destroying the clematis in the process. Wim took delivery of the material and in 2006 donated a rooted cutting to the National Collection of Clematis Montana Group.
‘Veitch’ 2006003 has thrived until recently in its position on the south/east facing corner of my home. It is a compact, quite sparsely flowering montana but the flowers are delightful, being a rich, deep pink with wide open outward facing flowers. Sadly, two years ago squirrels started using the stems as a climbing frame to gain access to the peanuts and sunflower hearts in the bay window feeders. The plant is only just alive, producing two little sprays of pretty flowers this year. As you can see, ’Veitch’ is a delightful flower.
After winning the award, Alan Postill, Master Propagator at Hilliers for well over fifty years, having heard about the squirrel damage, kindly agreed to take cuttings to save the plant from extinction. By the first May Bank Holiday 2021, he had a tiny rooted cutting. By May this year he was able to give well rooted cuttings to Roy Lancaster, Matt Biggs, Lynsey Pink, Peter Catt and Richard Duke. He also gave one
‘Veitch’ on wall at By The Way,
‘Veitch’: 4 small flowers below larger ‘Mary Hazel’ 2020005a
‘Veitch’ in 1L pot
to me for The Collection, plus 12 smaller rooted cuttings to distribute to clematis friends and important gardens.
I met John and Sarah Phillips’ daughter, Karen, at Richard Duke’s garden in June 2019. Karen had to have a cutting, of course. She is a committed gardener and we have since become good friends. Paddy Parmee is an Alpine Garden Society friend and loves clematis. There is one in her care.
A local gardening friend, Tricia, took one to the Great Dixter Nursery in May this year. David Jewell is caring for another and a fifth is on its way to John and Rachel, John being Head Gardener at Hinton Ampner – they plan to grow it in their Shropshire garden. They also plan to ask Hergest Croft to tend number six. Hergest Croft grow another montana thought to be from original clematis montana seed collected by E.H. Wilson. The owners of Hergest Croft believe their ancient plant is the original var. wilsonii. Julian Noble plans to come to the garden to take cuttings of other montanas – there is a little plant reserved for him. I hope Charlotte will want one for Wemyss Castle. Andrew Humphris, Head Gardener at Parham House, has agreed to take one for their growing montana collection (part of a dispersed National Collection) and a friend from the sixties, CarolAnn, is impatiently awaiting delivery of number ten. Sadly one rooted cutting collapsed – now cut back and repotted but little sign of white tipped roots or top growth as yet. The twelfth will be kept as a reserve in case of other deaths.
BCS members would be welcome to take cuttings from my young plant – I shall be potting it on again in the next few weeks when I see white root tips appearing from the bottom of the pot. I plan to pot the most advanced plant into a two litre pot by the end of August, to be planted in the Parham House garden on 30th September 2022. Please e-mail me to arrange a visit to my garden – val@lmnp.co.uk
Mike Brown donated a rooted cutting of the Hergest Croft montana Cat.No 1407 (mentioned above) to The Collection in 2011. It was well rooted but took two years to produce top growth. It then flowered sparsely in the soil for a couple of years before dying. The leaves, in particular, were different to others in The Collection. Seed was given to Ken Black who produced a few plants, most of which he has given away. The one he kept has few flowers, but flowers and leaves are very similar to those of the original plant.
Down but not out – montana var. grandiflora raised again
The storms hit on Friday 18th February 2022, over four months ago. Claire helps on a Friday morning and we were working outside struggling to tie in vulnerable clematis stems and securing the madly flapping corrugated metal roof of the log store.
‘Veitch’ cuttings
Suddenly the ground shook as the biggest apple tree crashed to the ground. It supported the huge montana var. grandiflora which has displayed itself over the canopy of the tree for many years. The clematis, donated by the ever-generous Mike Brown in 2004, had arrived labelled Sericea Spooneri but was identified by Chris Grey Wilson as montana var. grandiflora prior to my taking a rooted cutting to Buckingham Palace in 2007. It was over two weeks before Keith was able to come to dismantle and log the split half and the completely downed trunk. He worked tirelessly with only a quick break for lunch, from 9am-6pm on Sunday 6th March, chain sawing and moving massive logs to the steps above. Only then could I complete the tidying up of montana var. grandiflora, newly released from the tangle of trunks and branches. Keith promised to return asap with telegraph poles in the hope that the clematis would re-establish round the poles and along rope swags.
The high winds continued for several weeks with little relief. It took me over three weeks to disentangle the massive, waving clematis stems, cutting out dead and broken material before winding soft string along the remaining stems and laying them across the grass and onto the gravel – a full 20 metres. I had no idea if it would survive.
The next few weeks were spent raking up bucket loads of sawdust and gradually moving the huge logs to the store. It was over seven weeks, 26th April, before Keith and two
Felling and logging the apple tree with the vines of montana var. grandiflora, March 2022
strong friends were able to return with three telegraph poles. Keith had severely damaged his knee whilst in Cornwall over the Easter holiday and had been unable to work at all for several weeks. The lads inserted the three telegraph poles and wound montana var. grandiflora round one of the poles and along the rope swag to the second pole. Unbelievably, within three weeks dozens of strong new stems emerged from ground level and along the entire length of the old stems. There was even a small spray of pure white flowers near the tip during the last week of May.
I am thrilled and amazed. What a will to live. Down but not out.
Placing the telegraph poles; the poles in place; regrowth from the ground and along the stems
In the second week of June I spent four 4-hour sessions digging out dead and dying tree roots and old plants from the small bed – masses of lily of the valley, dozens of cyclamen the size of dinner plates, multitudes of bulbs and several fuchsia. Two wheelbarrows full of both my aerobic organic compost and two-year-old oak and apple leaf mould have transformed the soil. Now replanted and looking pretty good. Photos taken in June of the regrowth are overleaf.
An opportunity`I didn’t need but hope to enjoy in time to come!
Dispersed National Collection of Montana group
This is an urgent request for members growing ANY clematis in the Montana Group to send a list of their plants to our secretary, Julian Noble. Please also state if you would be willing for other members to visit to view and / or take cuttings by arrangement. It would help to attach pictures, especially if any have been exceptionally good this year. I have lost several cultivars during 2022 and it is vitally important to keep the range as complete as possible. With your permission Julian will be able to direct growers and individuals to sources of cultivars they want to see or grow. So please check your montana clematis plants and send your list to Julian as soon as possible. The aim is for most, if not all, cultivars to be available in at least three sites spread over Great Britain.
Please also note that I would be delighted to see you here at By The Way in June / July 2023 and happy to provide cutting material of any cultivar you would like to propagate. It is an amazing group providing colour and perfume throughout early to late spring. Many cultivars root fairly quickly and can be ready for planting into the ground within 1 ½ – 2 years.
Thank you.
Val.
Regrowth and planting of the bed, June 2022
C. montana ‘Dusky Star’
C. gracilifolia
The Winter Garden 2022
Winter Gardens have become deservedly popular across a number of UK sites and at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens, we now receive an increasing number of visitors during a notably quiet period in the gardening year. In keeping with the original Gardens Master Plan, the design has a hard surfaced circular footpath, with a soft grass approach through the middle which works well in all seasons. It has a good balance of evergreen and deciduous woody plants interspersed by a mixed range of perennials and bulbs.
Shrubby winter stem colour plays a key role together with the coloured barks of ornamental trees which have such appeal when laid bare. Scent also adds that subtle third dimension, particularly when carried on a light breeze, catching you unawares as you stroll through the area which can be a delight. During a cold winter’s day plantings may be covered with frost, laden with dew or when shafts of low winter sunlight filter through it really helps to bring the picture alive making this part of the season so special.
In recent years, people used to enter the gardens to enquire where the Winter Garden could be found because it was tucked around the corner, partially out of sight.
David Jewell, Curator at the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Winter Garden with Cornus and Betula
To overcome this and help denote a better sense of arrival, new plantings of Salix and Cornus have been planted in large groups of up to thirty plants at a time. Red Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, yellow Salix alba ‘Golden Ness’ and the red/orange Salix alba ‘Yelverton’ and yellow/red Cornus sanguinea ‘Winter Flame’ now light up the scene.
Such large groups help to deliver an eye-catching effect as you enter or when you leave the Winter Garden together with existing white stemmed Betula utilis cultivars, rising above as a very effective colour contrast. Nearby, a more recent planting uses two different types of Lime tree, Tilia cordata ‘Winter Orange’ and T. platyphyllos ‘Aurea’ whose stems are annually coppiced providing two different coloured groups i.e. red budded orange stems and the more subtle olive-green. Tilia is under used at present compared to the often-used forms of Salix or Cornus and the simplicity of a simple groundcover carpet of the piercing white snowdrop, Galanthus nivalis, is all that is required.
As you turn the corner a mature Hornbeam, Carpinus betulus, has a lovely oval outline at this time of year which casts dense, dry shade throughout the summer. However, during February time Snowdrops still manage to push their way through to mix informally with the Cyclamen. I love their marbled foliage and short stubby rich pink flowers with a purple blotch to their mouth; a perfect choice to mingle with the snowdrops much to the enjoyment of our visitors. Nearby the winter aconite, Eranthis hyemalis catches your eye at the base of red stemmed Cornus with their bright yellow blooms. They often appear before the first snowdrops yet somehow fail to achieve similar recognition or popularity but deserve to be seen more often with clumps that can last for many years.
Scent from a nearby semi-evergreen Daphne bholua is impossible to ignore, complete with many small white, mauve reverse flowers, twenty or more in each terminal cluster. However, of all the Daphnes, ‘Jacqueline Postill’ is still one of the most desirable of winter flowering shrubs. It was bred by Hillier Nurseries propagator Alan Postill from a seedling of Daphne bholua ‘Gurkha’ and named for his wife. Dense clusters of star shaped flowers appear purplish-pink in bud opening to white flushed pink, while at the same time imparting a very rich, pleasing fragrance amid semi-evergreen foliage. On the opposite side of the path is another deciduous, rare shrubby character with densely bristled stems, but this time a form of Honeysuckle, Lonicera setifera with white and pink flowers borne on naked stems in small, nodding clusters which exude a sweet, subtle scent. There are a number of Cornus cultivars in the winter garden ranging from the orange/ yellow and red of C. sanguinea ‘Winter Beauty’ to the olive green/yellow of C.‘Flaviramea’ and better toned C. sericea ‘Bud’s Yellow’ or red Cornus alba sibirica ‘Westonbirt’. They all play their part but one of the best forms is Cornus sanguinea ‘Anny’s Winter Orange’ with shoots flushed orange-red in winter that never fail to deliver a vibrant display. It is quite
Winter Garden; Hornbeam with cyclamen and snowdrops
a vigorous cultivar which suckers freely but can be divided easily to increase numbers.
Evergreens add an important structural element to the Winter Garden when you consider the architectural conifers, Mahonias, linear Phormiums, long flowering Skimmia ‘Kew Green’, Bamboos or compact Pines each with their own shape or individuality. Among the pines Pinus mugo ‘Winter Gold’ is very good, fading from summer green to a winter golden yellow and partners well with a foreground planting of dark foliaged Mahonia aquifolium ‘Apollo’ and a background curtain of bamboo foliage. A more recent introduction, Pinus contorta ‘Chief Joseph’ is probably the best smaller scale pine to date and worth seeking out. The foliage is a rich vibrant deep yellow and is quite outstanding sitting comfortably above a ground layer carpet of heathers where both enjoy their situation and acid soil type.
There are several Rubus cultivars in the Winter Garden and the best of all the white forms has to be the R. biflorus, a vigorous species armed with recurved thorns but with a very attractive vivid white, waxy bloom, on arching stems. R. ‘Golden Vale’ is a more subdued relation in colour, tone and growth but looks so good next to an inky black carpet of the grass-like Ophiopogon planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’. I like the shape and outline of such plants which leap to the fore when laid bare and so too the Japanese Wineberry, Rubus phoenicolasius with red, bristling, arching stems deserving a space in any winter garden.
Stem quality continues on a vertical scale with several bamboo cultivars such as the clump forming Phyllostachys nigra which enjoys a sunny corner. The culms are
green during their first season changing to their black colouration in the second year. By complete contrast are the golden-yellow striped green canes of Phyllostachys vivax f. aureocaulis which again, are clump forming. Far more vigorous is the Yellow-groove bamboo, Phyllostachys aureosulcata ‘Spectabilis’, a striking form becoming yellow with an alternating narrow green band on the groove. It is particularly energetic and has little difficulty growing through the tarmac footpath requiring a root barrier material to curtail its marching growth habit. Borinda is a relatively new bamboo and several cultivars are now commercially available but of particular note is B. papyrifera which has ghostly blue-white stems. Our plant is now three metres high and has been lightly crown lifted to reveal the appealing stem colour providing an air of special quality and presence. Repetition and use of height within any planting scheme always helps to provide balance plus a sense of cohesion and even the simplicity of basic railway sleepers sunk vertically into the ground are a good example. In the winter garden when covered with evergreen Ivies they are so effective year-round; always able to draw your eye and catch attention.
Last year, 2021, the BBC ‘Gardener’s World’ team filmed the Winter Garden, and the programme was subsequently aired on a Friday evening. The presenter enthusiastically commented that in his opinion the Winter Garden at The Sir Harold Hillier Gardens was the best in the UK. Reading these notes may hopefully encourage you to visit before too long as I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens: Situated in Ampfield, just outside Romsey in Hampshire, Sir Harold Hillier Gardens is an arboretum covering 180 acres and accommodating over 42,000 trees and shrubs – most notably an almost unparalleled collection of oaks, camellia, magnolia and rhododendron. The gardens are open throughout the year, except Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Website: https://www.hants.gov.uk/thingstodo/ hilliergardens.
News from The Bowers
Sheila Thacker
We had some seeds from the BCS a couple of years ago and are pleased that 2 varieties have germinated and doing well. We have just repotted them today (June 2022) and are looking forward to seeing the flowers
Most of the clematis in the garden are viticellas so are not flowering yet. But here are a few of the early varieties that are putting on a good show. We have mixed success with these clematis as some don’t come up after the winter and some grow well and then wilt, but we persevere!!
The seeds from BCS were sown in 2020 in peat-based seed compost mixed with our own garden compost with added grit. We had quite a few varieties of seed but only ‘Baby Rose’ and ‘Chiltern Twirl’ germinated. They were pricked out in February and potted on in June this year. They have been kept in a polytunnel. Our garden is in N Staffordshire between Stafford and Stoke on Trent.
The other photos of clematis are all planted into the garden. After buying them we keep them in pots for at least 12 months potting them up into larger pots, when necessary, during that time. Then, we find them a permanent home in the garden. Some of the
‘Chiltern Twirl’ about to flower
well-known cultivars we have had for many years keep performing well year after year but some of the newer named cultivars only seem to perform well for 2-3 seasons!! Hence, we keep trying new ones. Our thoughts on this are that not every garden suits every clematis. Because of this our preferred varieties of clematis are mainly viticellas and the herbaceous groups.
ICE BLUE ‘Evipo003’
‘Rooran’
BABY DOLL ‘Zobadol’
‘Empress Amy Lai’
SPOTLIGHT ‘Zo01860’
Seedlings of C. integrifolia ‘Baby Rose’ and 'Chiltern Twirl'
‘Lord Herschell’
OLYMPIA ‘Evipo099’
‘Lord Hershell’
Miscellaneous Mumblings
Richard Munday
My Collins Thesaurus has an interesting definition of an expert: “An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field”. So does that make me a clematis expert? Sadly not, I’m still learning. When I moved into my house about 3 years ago, I built a circular structure to host clematis, planted half a dozen clematis round it and sat back to enjoy the show. And waited. And nothing happened and only about 2 flowers appeared. Initially I thought it was intrusive roots from a nearby conifer that were the problem. It was only when a fellow member of the BCS said she’d lost lots of clematis using peat free compost that I realised I had used peat free compost to enhance the soil round the structure and that was why they were not growing. So, big mistake using peat free compost. I do not personally support the ban on using peat. It is an extremely common substance and the horticultural industry uses a very small amount in relation to the total available so I don’t feel that the planet is being saved by not using it. If plants fail because we don’t use peat that cannot be good for the environment. Doubtless many people will disagree with me, but I don’t think the ban has been adequately debated.
C. ‘Akaisha’
When we moved to our house, we had some wire bins containing leaf mould which had, unfortunately, got infested with roots. My wife sorted this out and I was able to use the cleaned leaf mould to grow some large flowered hybrids which have mainly grown very well using this. This year I’ve had really large blooms on Clematis ‘Akaishi’, a really flamboyant Japanese stripey. Others that have thrived in the leaf mould are C. ANNA LOUISE ‘Evithree’, C. ‘Doctor Ruppel’, Brian Collingwood’s C. ‘Suzy Mac’ and C. ‘Kathleen Dunford’.
I love the big stripey clematis and bought a plant of C. ‘Wildfire’ this year. It had a gorgeous display of huge purple and red striped flowers, but growth now seems to have stalled and I don’t know why. This seems to have happened to some other plants. They are definitely alive but not showing any new growth. Perhaps the lack of rain is a factor. A feature of last year, presumably because of Brexit and the pandemic, was that many varieties were unobtainable. Therefore, I bought a few varieties to fill gaps simply because they were on sale. Three of these have been delightful, C. ‘Mrs Cholmondeley’, an old variety from the 19th century, vigorous and prolific, C. ‘Hania’, one to add to my stripey collection and C. ‘Ashva’, a Lithuanian stripey.
My clematis year started with Clematis macropetala. The advice is that the macropetalas require free draining soil so I incorporated plenty of grit when planting and was rewarded with beautiful blue/mauve flowers in April.
I have 5 of the short Evison hybrids which have all sailed through the (mild) winter and add lots of colour to an herbaceous border with short supports and they are mainly quite bushy for a clematis. FLEURI ‘Evipo042’, a rich purple, is exceptional. One of them, EDDA ‘Evipo074’ looked totally dead in the autumn, not a hint of life among the stems but to my complete surprise has reappeared. Last year I bought NUBIA ‘Evipo079’ which I would describe as an “SOS” (sells on sight) plant. Mine was in flower in the nursery and the combination of scarlet red sepals and a black centre is a real winner admired by all.
I have had three or four clematis that have died. Maybe lack of water was a contributory factor as the autumn in 2021 was very dry and I have a big Norway Maple in the garden which sucks up the water and casts big areas in to shade. One I was sad to lose was C. ‘Ekstra’ an unusual Estonian variety which I’ve had for years and which moved house with me.
It is amazing which varieties turn up for sale in unexpected places. My local greengrocer had plants of C. ‘Gladys Pickard’, a whitish Jim Fisk cultivar from the 1990s. Well, I had to try that, but it has not flowered yet.
As I’ve got older I cannot do some activities I used to do so I’ve been having fun buying up small £2 clematis plants from a supermarket and growing them on to see what the flowers are like. I immediately put them in bigger pots. A couple have died but at £2 each that doesn’t matter. You can also experiment with different ways of growing them. C. ‘Girénas’, an early large flowered hybrid, has delighted me with large pink flowers. A £2 C. ‘Voluceau’ I bought in February grew away strongly so I put it in the ground and at the beginning of July it started to flower. The flowers start off a velvety red before
maturing to a more matt shade. Another £2 plant, C. ‘Danuta’, a Brother Stefan Franczak of Poland introduction bought in April, is growing away strongly in the ground and is a lovely clear pink colour. Supermarkets in different areas of the country seem to have different varieties on sale so you can satisfy your inner clematis nerd instinct by seeing what varieties you can get.
Two tough and vigorous varieties I’ve had a long time which can hold their own at the bottom of a hedge and grow into it are C. ‘Błękitny Anioł’, BLUE ANGEL (another of Brother Stefan’s) is currently flowering beautifully and C. ‘Aotearoa’, a purple variety from New Zealand.
Jim Fisk makes the observation in one of his catalogues (1983) that people who live near rivers grow magnificent clematis and rarely, if ever, do their plants suffer from wilt because there is a constant supply of water a short distance down. He suggests replicating these conditions by burying a container underneath your plant, filling it with stones and topping it up with water via a pipe driven down to the container to top it up. Something else to try!
I’m always on the lookout for clematis when I visit gardens and the best plant I’ve seen this year is a plant of C. ‘Vyvyan Pennell’ growing at Sissinghurst with gorgeous double flowers. So, I hope other members have also derived much pleasure from their plants and those spotted in gardens.
C. ‘Voluceau’
Grafton Cottage – a Country Cottage Garden
Charne Griffiths
Many people have a romantic image of an English Country cottage garden. There are books, paintings and photos that appear showing beautiful images of cottage gardens. However, there is an excellent example of a typical English country cottage garden here in Staffordshire, in the middle of England. Grafton Cottage lies on a quiet lane at the edge of an old village and its flowers spill over the edge of walls, gates and the pavement edge inviting passers-by to look further into the depths of the garden. The plants are many and varied but for those clematis lovers amongst us it is immediately obvious that our favourite plants are well represented. Another feature that is notable straight away is the careful toning of colours, nothing too strident meets the eye and the health of the plants too, is striking.
Grafton Cottage – border along the lane
Perfect looking cottage gardens do not just magically appear. They usually represent many years of planning and work, and this garden is no exception. Peter and Margaret Hargreaves moved to Grafton Cottage on their marriage forty-seven years ago. It is an old water-worker’s cottage built about 1840, originally on a rod of land. This is an ancient measure of land which denoted a small plot. Therefore, when they first lived here it had a small back garden with a deep tall hedge along the side. Peter borrowed machinery to remove the hedge which freed up space. At first they grew vegetables, including potatoes which helped to clear the land and some flowers. Margaret had loved flowers such as Sweet Williams and Canterbury Bells from childhood, and growing flowers began to expand alongside the vegetables. In time they were able to buy more land to lengthen the plot and at a later date an area at the side to double the width of the garden. They acquired an allotment which allowed for vegetable growing away from the garden and left more room for flowering plants at home.
The soil appeared to be good fertile loam from the beginning and they have built up the fertility by annual applications of well-rotted manure which is delivered to the allotment and then brought up to the garden as needed. There are the remains of a pigsty and one cannot help but wonder if the rearing of pigs on the land may have contributed to the fertility of the soil with pig manure being available. They make as much leaf mould as possible getting contributions of leaf piles from friends as well as collecting their garden leaves. When I visit I am always struck by how healthy the plants look and how strongly they grow, even though the borders are tightly packed.
Peter and Margaret developed some distinct areas in the garden as it began to expand. A lower area was denoted ‘the dell’. In 1984 they made a stream, rustic trellis was erected to support the roses and clematis, and by 1992 they were opening the garden under the National Garden Scheme (NGS). In order to retain interest for regular visitors they have developed new areas over time. When the garden had been open twenty-five years for the NGS they designed a parterre in the area behind the trellis backing the hot border. In more recent years a bright feature has been added to the green area on the side fence.
This is a very attractive red geranium theatre, like an auricula theatre, but with geraniums. Margaret plans the plant combinations and designs the colour schemes. The borders are beautifully colour themed such as in the mauve and purple or the hot border. Plants are melded together in such a way that they just melt into one another almost like an artist’s shading. There are about one hundred clematis in the garden, many viticellas, but not exclusively so, and they cluster at the top of the trellis and peep out from posts and archways. Any clematis lover would wish their plants could look as floriferous and be partnered by such a variety of colourful and varied herbaceous perennials. There are too many special, and more usual clematis, to name them all but I spotted particularly good specimens of C. ‘Odoriba’ and C. ‘Étoile Violette’ in July. Each area is so tightly packed with wonderful plants that you could look at it for a long time and still miss a special plant.
Not only does Margaret grow great plants in the garden but she propagates a large number of plants for sale. Therefore, unlike some gardens and nurseries, visitors can purchase some of the unusual plants seen in the garden. All the plants for sale are propagated in the
‘Błękitny Anioł’ peeping through Thalictrum
‘Alionushka’ in pink border
Geranium theatre
‘Odoriba’ and ‘Margaret Hunt’
Hot Border
‘Étoile Violette’ and friends
‘Étoile Rose’
‘Emilia Plater’
‘Pamiat Serdtsa’
‘Jenny’ and ‘Skyfall’
garden by division, cuttings or seed. Propagating clematis is left to the specialist nurseries. All the food for the teas is also home made. As I wrote earlier, producing an outstanding cottage garden takes a great deal of work and these additional activities only add to that but are part of the overall experience. In order to open for a number of days in July and August, Peter and Margaret work consistently throughout the year on their preparations but this is reflected in the high standards of all elements of the garden opening.
Grafton Cottage Garden has been opening under the National Gardens Scheme for thirty years this year, 2022. In all those years a great deal of money, £100,000, has been raised for charity. Three quarters of the money raised goes to NGS charities and for the remainder Peter and Margaret have chosen to donate it to Alzheimer’s Research UK. They have been able to get match funding for this since last year which has doubled their contribution.
I am sure many people who have visited the garden at Grafton Cottage over the years would recommend it as a special English cottage garden. Any one who is interested in clematis would find it fascinating apart from the other outstanding plants growing together. In several places in the garden you can submerge yourself in the scents and colours of the plants and almost cut out the rest of the world. I thoroughly recommend a visit to anyone living in, or visiting, the Midlands.
C FOREVER FRIENDS ‘Zofofri’
ClematisBageren
Jette and Lars Jensen
Hello, we are the crazy clematis people from a small town called Randers in Denmark. Our names are Jette and Lars. Before we got crazy about clematis, we owned a bakery which was our only obsession. That is why we are called ClematisBageren, that means ‘the Clematis baker’ in Danish. A garden to be made: It all started back in 2011. Lars was recovering from an illness that forced us to close our bakery and start looking for another path in life. When the bakery closed it left a lot of spare time for the two of us, so we needed something to look forward to fill out the gap, where we normally used to work, which was all the time. As a result our garden became the new obsession in our lives and in another fairytale we began with a whole lot of nothing. Three clematis were the start of our new passion. It was a late summer evening when we finally decided to make a nice home for the plants we were given by some relatives. We started out by making three homemade trellises and everything evolved from that little corner.
‘Cloudburst’
Garden or waterpark?: From the start clematis grew succesfully, we got so excited and there was no looking back. Within a few weeks we had planned a huge rearrangement of our garden. We would move something like several tons of stone, to establish raised beds, then suddenly, a brand new and very weird idea came to mind. We needed a fishpond and not just the pond you can go and buy in the local pet shop. A huge self-made pond started shaping. Another late evening, we started digging and over the following days the hole was filled with carpets and pond cloth; everything to make it as watertight as possible, before filling it with water and of course our beloved fish. To fill the raised beds, we drove all around the country to see if we could find some new and exciting clematis. It was not possible to buy just clematis, so we ended up with all kinds of plants, from tall grasses to the smallest ground cover plants. More and more trellises arrived and a lot more beds. It all went so fast that by the end of that summer we had already claimed almost half of the lawn for the new arriving plants.
300 different Clematis: Within three, maybe four years, the garden of our home back then had almost reached its potential and we were seriously looking for new ways to incorporate as much as even one more clematis. It was a constant puzzle to make room for another in the collection. Our garden collection counted at least 300 Clematis, 125 lilies and 60 different dahlias, just to name a few of the plants we collected back then.
Hmm – where to expand? We decided it was time for a change, so we searched for a new home and, of course, a new garden to explore and make our own. We found a little yellow house a little way outside of town where we could make our dreams come true. The house wasn’t as important as the opportunities offered by the garden, so we ended up buying a big garden with a small house, and not the other way around. Of course, when we say big garden, it is in Danish terms of big a garden, “Haha”.
New home, new garden: The moving was a mess as always. Not only did we have to move everything inside, but we had to move everything outside as well, so we ended up digging everything up and packing it in cars and moved it to our new home. That led to a lot more digging when we moved in because everything need to find its new spot in the garden.
2300m2 of pure lawn: We started out with 2300m2 of lawn and a lot of space gives a lot of possibilities. We called in a contractor to come and help us with a new pond for the fish, to cut some trees and to remove the unwanted roots and bushes. We were running around all summer and autumn to put as many plants in the ground as possible. Beds and beds rose up all over the garden and we even made a path of honour for our beloved clematis friends, who got a “F.M. Westphal Straße” [see photograph on page 22], “Fl. Hansens Alle” and “Thorncroft Street”. In every path we planted some of the clematis we received from the people it is dedicated to. Paths were fundamental to the rest of the garden. Trellises, lilies and trees were placed around the paths, filling in the picture more and more. Last spring, we finally finished our new fishpond which ended up being 10 times bigger than our last one. The new pond is now hosting a lot of different water plants, and the clematis are covering a lot of the ground on the shore.
‘Scented Clem’ SUGAR-SWEET BLUE
‘Jette’
‘Van Gogh’
C. montana var. wilsonii
TSUKIKO ‘Evipo110’
‘Prinsesse Alexandra’
‘Ton Hannink’ Jette and Lars
600 different clematis and still counting We have now reached at least 600 clematis in our garden and of course, as with all other collectors, we are still counting. We search for new clematis almost all over the world. Often, we go to Germany to visit our German friends with the same passion as ours and to find and bring home new varieties. We have come a long way since moving in. The garden is full of beds, pots, and jars. We like to see our garden as an adventurous maze, with different plants and colours all over the place. We can certainly say that we do not own a tree, trellis, or a pole, that does not have a lovely clematis winding its way to reach the sun. We have a lot of different plants as a lot of garden owners do, but there must be no doubt about our true passion and that is the tangled lover Clematis.
Exploration of seeds and seedlings Lately we have found a new passion. We collect seed from our clematis and hope to develop new cultivars, which we have achieved with our very own clematis called “Jette”, and hopefully there will be a lot more to come. We are not that clever that we have the possibility to make them in a laboratory, so we let nature do its business and hope for the best. At the moment, we have about 180 plants that we are waiting to bloom and hopefully find something new and special for our clematis society to be discovered.
Favourites We have, as every other collector, some favourites in our collection. Our most beloved favourite is of course our own Clematis “Jette” because it was such a fascinating experience to develop it. It is a whole different story when you can wait years and years for something to happen and suddenly it was there, and it was a dream come true.
‘Prinsesse Alexandra’, ‘Ton Hannink’, TSUKIKO ‘Evipo110’ are also very much appreciated clematis, due to their history. We got some from close relatives and friends who had them growing in their garden and decided to split the plant for us to have it. These gifts are long lasting and giving so much joy every year, so must be a favourite.
C. montana var. wilsonii, ‘Scented Clem’ SUGAR-SWEET BLUE, and ‘Van Gogh’ are simply favourites for their pure beauty or lovely delicate scent. These plants are like seeing the plant smile and it brings happiness to us every time they open their flowers for us to see. It becomes a competition every year to make these plants bloom with as many flowers as possible.
Facts:
Why are we called – “ClematisBageren”? - “Bageren” means the baker in English. And before we started gardening, we had our own bakery. Located? - Randers, Denmark. When we started? - We started our garden in 2011.
The 1st Clematis? – ‘Prinsesse Alexandra’.
Favourite Clematis? – ‘Jette’, C. montana var. wilsonii, ‘Ton Hannink’, TSUKIKO ‘Evipo110’, ‘Van Gogh’, ‘Scented Clem’ SUGAR-SWEET BLUE Facebook – ClematisBageren.
Section 3
Growers and Nurseries
Viorna Group cultivars and hybrids in the Summer Garden
Richard Hodson
As I am the National Collection Holder for Clematis Viorna Group, obviously we have lots of different cultivars and species in the garden here at The Hawthornes at Hesketh Bank on the West Coast of Lancashire. Many are grown in the herbaceous borders and beds, through obelisks of different sizes, also through shrubs and many in large pots.
The Viorna Group are fantastic garden plants, combining several different species, mostly from North America, and many hybrids which have been produced over the years.
The species are quite variable; we have several different forms of Clematis crispa for example; seed collected from various sites in US and obtained through various Seed Exchanges over the years, and the same with Clematis pitcheri and Clematis reticulata.
The crispa cultivars are very high on the ‘wow’ list, especially C. crispa ‘Niccy’ and ‘Crispa Angel’, which always receive favourable comments from garden visitors. Also take a look at C. crispa ‘Silly’.
C. crispa
‘Odoriba’
‘Crispa Angel’
C. pitcheri
‘Kaiu’
‘Silly’
C. reticulata
‘Ribble Red’
‘Buckland Beauty’
‘Niccy’
The named varieties are much admired also. For example, ‘Buckland Beauty’, ‘Odoriba’, ‘Kaiu’ and ‘Peveril Profusion’, along with many others, never fail to impress.
‘Ribble Red’ was raised by BCS member Harry Grounds and is a stunning Viorna Group cultivar, grown here in a large pot, lots and lots of flowers every year, no vices, simply prune down to the floor every Winter, after collecting the seeds, obviously.
‘Peveril Pendant’ is another excellent plant from Mr Barry Fretwell.
Many un-named home-grown seedlings are planted out after they have flowered in the greenhouses, if they look “a bit different”.
If I was asked to nominate my favourite, I would definitely point to a C. pitcheri hybrid which was grown here quite a few years ago from seed collected wild in Illinois and sent to me by Mike Miller, a wonderful plant, festooned with lots and lots of small two-tone bell flowers for a long period every Summer, followed by amazing red seed clusters. I have sown and germinated several of these seeds in the past, the offspring all different than the seed parent, one of which has taken residence in the West border, through a metal obelisk, very floriferous, and is marked as Ex pitcheri Illinois.
I would encourage everyone to try and obtain some seeds of these fantastic Viorna Group clematis; all you need is a bit of patience and you will end up with some remarkably beautiful garden plants.
Richard holds National Collections of Clematis Texensis Group and Clematis vitcella in addition to the Clematis Viorna Group. These are based in his 1-acre garden at The Hawthornes.
C. pitcheri hybrid with seed cluster
‘Peveril Profusion’
‘Peveril Pendant’ Ex pitcheri hybrid
Cripps’ Nursery, Tunbridge Wells
Thomas Cripps (1809 – 1888), Nurseryman from the past
This article was first published in ‘The Clematis’, the BCS Journal, in 2001.
Everett Leeds
Thomas Cripps was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent on 1st January 1810 (five years after the Battle of Trafalgar) to Samuel (believed to be from a family of many generations of stonemasons) and Jane Cripps. He married Sarah and they had four children: Ellen Hephzibah (born 1840), William Thomas (1841), Henry Hairs (1844) and Sarah Maria (1846). On the 1851 Census return they are shown living at 1 Montgomery Place, Tunbridge Wells, together with a 19-year-old nurse called Emily Fison (from Duxford, Cambridgeshire) and a 16 year old servant, Mary Mercer (from Middlesex, London).
In fact, there were several Cripps families living in Tunbridge Wells for several generations before the mid-Victorian period, and it is highly likely they were all related in some way. However, it must be borne in mind that the sense of class distinction was practised to a high degree and families of varying professions in the social scale did not necessarily speak to one another. A Charles Cripps (born 1869) was the senior partner of W. C. Cripps & Son, Solicitors, a practice started by his father William Charles Cripps. Charles was also one of the Town Commissioners for ‘Paving and Drainage’.
It is not clear from where Thomas Cripps acquired his horticultural leanings or expertise. The Victorian era was a very exciting time for British horticulture with many completely unknown species being introduced from far off places such as China. It is known that a wealthy London businessman, William Wells, had a very grand house called Redleaf built near Penshurst which is quite close to Tunbridge Wells, and it is quite likely the Cripps family of stonemasons worked on the building. The head gardener at the house, by coincidence, was also called Wells and he may have taken on the young Cripps and given him his first taste of nursery work. Wells was a very innovative gardener and the very first alpine rock garden in England was made at Redleaf. He also bred the climbing rose ‘The Garland’. He introduced the mollis azaleas (Rhododendron mollis) in conjunction with Loddiges Nursery in Hackney, London. An interesting aside regarding Wells, the gardener, is that after he left his employment at Redleaf he became the father of H.G. Wells, the well-known writer and actor.
Thomas Cripps started his nursery in 1837 when aged about 27 in an area now called Hawkenbury in Tunbridge Wells but formerly known as Twenty Acre Wood. All the land he used throughout his life was leased from the Eridge Estate which owned most of the surrounding area. From the start he grew ericaceous shrubs, mainly the fashionable American plants and rhododendrons which the local soil favoured. By 1847 he had an office and florist shop at 65, High Street, Tunbridge Wells, at the junction with Warwick Road. In the 1851 Census he is recorded as having 17 acres of land and 14 labourers. The nursery was successful and in 1842 he introduced the first fuchsia with white petals called ‘Venus Victrix’ which sold for a guinea each (£1 1s 0d for those who can remember or £1.05 in our decimal money), a considerable sum in those days – probably more than a month’s wages. This fuchsia was a sport noticed by the head gardener working for the Rector of Horsmonden, Tonbridge, Kent, in the 1840s and given to Cripps to propagate and sell. We do not know how much, if anything, he paid for it – no doubt these days it would be subject to Plant Breeders’ Rights!. Perhaps it was no coincidence he named one of his lanuginosa type clematis cultivars C. ‘Venus Victrix’ (flowering June – October) described as “a double, pale lavender” hoping perhaps it would make as much money as the fuchsia.
The lease ran out on the ground he rented so he moved to Cumberland Walk now covered by the houses of Warwick Park and Madeira Park. Tunbridge Wells was growing at a great speed with many successful and well-off residents who wanted the latest cultivars to keep up with the heights of horticultural fashion. In fact by 1861 the population of the town had risen to 13,807. He was quick to realise the potential of the railway to transport his stock and employed a commercial traveller to gain orders from all parts of the country.
The nursery continued to expand and, as there was no spare cultivated ground, this meant reclaiming 80 acres of nearby scrubland, much of which was not enclosed, in the vicinity of Forest Road, at the time just a narrow track. The additional land was soon joined by another 30 acres stretching along both sides of Forest Road from Frant Road to Benhall Mill Lane. Hedges were planted to form shelterbelts as the ground was a treeless windy ridge and small remnants can still be traced to this day.
It was usual in Victorian times to quote a price for a single shrub and also for a dozen (12). Cripps’ catalogue for autumn 1866 – spring 1867 lists many varieties of rhododendron, maple and, of course, clematis. Many were grown in pots which in those days would have been made from clay whilst others were grown in open ground and lifted as required. A transcript from the catalogue is shown below:
P = grown in pots
Candida Plena, P
Flammula, strong, P
Each in £. s. d. Per dozen
1s – 0d
9s – 0d
8s – 0d from open ground
4s – 0d
Florida, single, P 4s – 0d
Standishii, a lovely violet blue flower, large and quick growth 12s – 0d
Fortunei, beautiful, large and double white, P 2s – 6d
Hybrida Splendens, fine velvety purple, P 1s – 6d
Lanuginosa Candida 2s – 6d
Montana, strong, in pots and form open ground
4s – 0d to 6s – 0d
Grandiflora, very strong, P 6s – 0d very strong from open ground 4s – 0d
Patens Amalia, P 1s – 0d
- Helena
8s – 0d
- Louisa 6s – 0d
- Monstrosa 6s – 0d
- Sophie, in pots and in open ground 1s -0d 8s – 0d
Vitalba, strong 4s – 0d
Viticella 4s – 0d
Francofurtensi, P 1s – 0d 8s – 0d
Hendersoni (hybrids) very strong, P 6s – 0d from open ground 4s – 0d
Major, P 6s – 0d
Purpurea, single, purple, P 0 – 9d 6s – 0d
Rubra, single, red 0 – 9d 6s – 0d
George Jackman’s success with clematis hybrids must have acted as a spur for within 3 years of C. ‘Jackmanii’ being shown to the public Cripps was producing some fine cultivars of the late flowering types such as ‘Star of India’, ‘Victoria’ and ‘Madame Van Houtte’, which received the RHS recognition of FCC (First Class Certificate) in 1867.
The last mentioned was named after the wife of a Belgian nurseryman, Louis Van Houtte. It is interesting to speculate what dialogue there was between these two nurserymen – it must have been of substance for Cripps to name one of his plants after the Belgian family.
The practice of most nurseries naming cultivars after wealthy or influential patrons was followed by Cripps with names such as ‘Lord Nevill’ (prior to 1875) and ‘Lady Caroline Nevill’ (c. 1886) [see note 1], who were a prominent titled family living in Eridge Park, Tunbridge Wells and from whom Cripps leased his nursery land.
The clematis now called x triternata ‘Rubromarginata’, raised by Cripps in 1880 [see note 1], received a mixed reception mainly, I believe because of the small size of the flower. The fact it was scented gave it a head start and it has survived to this day. In the issue of The Garden dated 7 October 1882, a correspondent named D. Dartnall wrote a letter enclosing cut specimens of the flammula hybrid and sang its praises. He also went on to describe another called ‘Gypsy Queen’ “… a variety of superior merit, is also one of their selection for a large number of seedlings of their own raising. The colour is a bright velvety puce.” The editor, however, added a footnote “the new seedling is a curious one, bearing numerous flowers, but these are scarcely pleasing in colour.” Unfortunately, it is not clear to which clematis the editor referred! Small hybrids were not so eagerly sought after as ‘big is beautiful’ became the order of the day in those Victorian times, bearing in mind it was only about 18 years previously that C. ‘Jackmanii’ burst upon the gardening scene. It is quite possible therefore it was a reference to the C. flammula hybrid.
‘Victoria’
‘Lord Nevill’
In a further article by ‘W.G.’ in The Garden dated 15 September 1883, the writer is very complimentary regarding the nursery aiming at improving all sections by hybridising, particularly the hardier ‘Jackmanii’ and patens race. “The clematis quarter in this nursery is now the most attractive part, it being just the height of the flowering season... Out of about hundred varieties in this Clematis ground we singled out the following dozen or so of the very finest …. Alexandra, flowers of a pale reddish violet, very profuse; Jackmanii superba, a superior plant in every way to the ordinary form, the flowers being larger and of greater substance on the colour of a deep maroon-crimson, one of the finest of all [perhaps referring to the bar, EFL]; Othello, rather later than the rest and remarkably free, the flowers being of medium size and of deep velvety purple, one of the best of all; hybrida fulgens, a velvety plum colour, the petals barred with a deeper hue, very fine; Star of India one of the finest, the colour, a reddish plum-purple, being so distinct it is free in bloom and a vigorous grower, and the six-petalled flowers are of good shape and full….”2 Also mentioned are ‘Ascotiensis’ (violet-blue, raised by John Standish), ‘Lady Bovill’ (soft greyish-blue, raised by Jackman and illustrated in The Clematis as a Garden Flower opposite page 113), ‘Mrs G. M. Innes’ (pale mauve semi-double), ‘Morikata Oki’ (satiny white, large and very fine), ‘Madame Van Houtte’ (white, very large and finely shaped) and ‘Lady Caroline Nevill’ (beautiful pale mauve with petals barred with a deeper colour).
The article goes on to say, “The above comprise the cream of the fine collection of sorts of flowers here, but we must not omit to mention the new hybrid variety obtained
‘Lady Caroline Nevill’
‘Fairy Queen’
‘Gispy Queen’
by intercrossing C. Flammula and C. Viticella rubra marginata, which produces flowers in great abundance thrice as large as those as C. Flammula, with petals broadly edged with purple. A desirable character of this novelty is its delicious perfume, which is strong enough to pervade the atmosphere around the plants. It is named C. Flammula rubra marginata.”2 Interestingly there are no negative editor’s remarks after this article! All the descriptions are by ‘W.G.’
The name of the nursery from 1837 was “Thomas Cripps” but at some point it changed to “Thomas Cripps & Son”, and this is the title given to it in Moore & Jackman’s book, The Clematis a Garden Flower (1872). There were two sons, but it is not clear to which one the title refers. However, both pre-deceased their father and, when he died in 1888 the business was carried on by his daughter Ellen Hephzibah Cripps in a very efficient manner until her death in 1902. Kelly’s Directory for 1889 carried a half page advertisement for the nursery, no doubt placed there to re-assure patrons that the nursery was still in business following the death of Thomas. These advertisements continued in until 1911.
A catalogue/stock book for autumn 1906 – spring 1907 listed 76 cultivars and species. C. ‘Jackmanii’ was held in the greatest number, no less than 400 plants were available. C. ‘Jackmanii superba’ came next with 250 plants, C. ‘Jackmanii Alba’ with 180 and C. ‘Jackmanii Rubra’ with 60. All other cultivars had fewer than 50 plants available. No prizes therefore for guessing which clematis was in greatest demand and possibly still is to this day. Mentioned in this booklet are some of the intriguing names, such as C. ‘Crippsi’ (deep bluish mauve) and elsewhere spelt with two ‘i’s, ‘Crippsii’. C. ‘Tunbridgensis’ (deep bluish mauve) and C. integrifolia ‘Lord Derby’. The elusive texensis hybrids C. ‘Countess of Onslow’, C. ‘Duchess of York’ and C. ‘Grace Darling’ are also listed.
The nursery changed hands twice, in the first occasion in 1912 to Louis Russell, who already had nursery business at Richmond and Milford in Surrey and one in Isleworth, Middlesex. However, the First World War started in August 1914, and he found himself in financial difficulties so he was obliged to sell off most of his holdings including the Cripps property.
The property became tumbled-down and derelict with the grounds overgrown so that by 1920 much was returned to farmland by the Eridge Estate whilst that by the roadside was sold off for housing. At the same time the nursery firm R. W. Wallace of Colchester, Essex, took over a small portion of the old Cripps Nursery and some of the Colchester staff, including the propagator, a Mr Burkwood of Osmarea ‘Burkwoodii’ fame, who came to live in the area. The main trade was in shrubs, lilies and bulbs as well as a landscape department. After a lean period during the Second World War the nursery amalgamated with Barr & Sons of Taplow who were well known daffodil specialists. Trade continued until 1967 when all the ground was finally sold for development. I have not been able to establish who ran the nursery between 1901 to 1912 following the death of Ellen Cripps. Perhaps other branches of the family ran it with the existing staff.
There is a pink granite memorial in the shape of an obelisk (similar to Cleopatra’s Needle on the Embankment in London) in Tunbridge Wells cemetery that stands about 3.5 –4.5m (12 -15 ft.) high bearing the following inscriptions: on the front face: “In loving
memory of Thomas Cripps, founder of Tunbridge Wells Nurseries who fell asleep on the 17th April 1888 in 79th year. My presence shall go with thee and I will give thee rest”. on one side of the plinth:
“Also Sarah, wife of Thos Cripps who died 3rd August 1859 age 56 year interred in Trinity Parish. Also of Ellen Hephzibah Cripps daughter of the above who died 26th February 1901 in her 62nd year. Thy will be done”. On the remaining side of the plinth: “Also Henry Hairs who died at Lancaster 31st March 1867 aged 23 years also William Thomas who died 11th June 1871 aged 31 years. Sons of T & S Cripps interred in Trinity Parish.” In the 1881 Census return there is recorded staying at 65 High Street a grandson named Henry Cripps, age 12, who must probably have been be a son of either Henry or William. Perhaps, therefore, there are living descendants of the Cripps family still extant.
inscription
It is fitting the memorial is within sight of the place where his nursery was situated. Many of his cultivars have stood the test of time and the name Cripps will endure along with them instead of slipping into obscurity – which is generally the case for most humans.
Acknowledgements My grateful thanks to the staff at Tunbridge Wells Public Library and to the staff of RHS Lindley Library; also, to John Antell of Tunbridge Wells for his help, enthusiasm and knowledge of the nursery in its later years and to the helpful staff at Tunbridge Wells Cemetery.
References
Brackett’s Tunbridge Wells Directory.
1863 History, Gazetteer & Directory of the County of Kent (Tunbridge Wells section).
1867-68 (Tunbridge Wells) Civic Society Newsletter, autumn 1993, article by John Antell; Census Returns: 1851 and 1881; I.G.I. records produced by the Mormon Church.
Note 1: the date of the introduction by Cripps of x triternata ‘Rubromarginata’ is now listed as 1862 in the International Clematis a Register and Checklist 2002. The date of introduction for a number of other cultivars has been updated to, so the dates given in text differ from those in the table below.
Note: 2: some of the names of clematis in the quotations are as they were in the original, not as we write them today.
Editorial acknowledgement: Some images and the following additional notes are taken from a further article about the Cripps Nursery written by Edward J Gilbert, Thunder Bay, Ontario,
Memorial
Canada, and published in The Clematis in 2012:
Clematis cultivars bred and introduced by Thomas Cripps:
In addition to the 51 clematis cultivars listed here, Cripps introduced several hundred trees, shrubs and other plants so making a hugely significant contribution to the world of horticulture.
The Life and Times of Thomas Cripps:
1569 C.viticella introduced to the UK
c. 1700 C. cirrhosa, C. flammula, C. integrifolia & C. recta reach the UK
1809 Thomas Cripps born
1830s C. patens introduced to the UK
1832 Tunbridge Wells Horticultural Society formed 1837 Thomas marries Sarah Russell at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster
1837 Cripps nursery established
1839 Ellen, their first child, is born
1840 Nursery extends to 17 acres
1841 William is born
1842 Fuchsia ‘Venus Victrix’ introduced 1843 Henry, their second son, is born
1845 Railway arrives in Tunbridge Wells 1846 Sarah, their second daughter, is born
1850-58 Expansion of nursery to 80 acres, then to 110 acres
1859 Sarah, Thomas’ wife, dies
1861 His sons, William and Henry, working in the business and his daughters, Ellen and Sarah working in the florist shop
1862 x triternata ‘Rubromarginata’ introduced by Cripps [see note 1] c. 1862 Nursery operates as ‘Thomas Cripps & Son’
1863 C. ‘Fortunei’ and C. ‘Standishii’ reach the UK
1864 C. ‘Jackmanii’ introduced by Jackman’s of Woking
1866 26 clematis listed in Cripps catalogue
1867 Son, Henry, dies, age 23 years
1867 ‘Madame Van Houtte’, ‘Lady Caroline Nevill’ and ‘Star of India’ introduced by Cripps
1867-70 More than half of all Cripps’ clematis introduced during this 4-year period
1870 ‘Victoria’ introduced by Cripps
1871 Son, William, dies age 31 years
1873 ‘Guilding Starr’ introduced by Cripps
1875/6 ‘Fairy Queen’ and ‘Venus Victrix’ introduced by Cripps
1877 ‘Gipsy Queen’ introduced by Cripps
1882 ‘Jackmanii Superba’ introduced by Cripps
1888 Thomas Cripps dies, aged 79. Ellen (now 41) takes over the business
1901 Ellen dies, aged 62 years
1901-11 Ownership of the nursery changes twice. Business last seen in listings in 1911 ca. 1913 Business closes
1913-20 Land lies derelict with some returning to farmland, glasshouses finally demolished 1920
1920-45 Wallace re-opens part of the site as ‘The Old Gardens’
1955 Amalgamation of Wallace with Barr & Co.
1967 Ground sold for development
Section 4
Cultivars, Species and Groups
日本の Hansyooduru of Japan
In Japan there are a lot of unique clematis called Hansyooduru.
In the first half of this word, Hansyoo is written as “half bell”, in Japanese kanji半鐘.
It is a small fishing bell, in the Edo period (1603 to 1868 AD, a period of about 260 years). This fishing bell is made of bronze. It was used as a tool to warn people of dangers such as fires and natural disasters by striking it to sound a warning. Later in this word, duru translates as “vine”, 蔓 Hansyooduru in one word: Clematis fusca, C. alpina subsp. ochotensis, C. japonica Thunb., C. japonica form cremea, C. tosaensis and so on. These small bell-shaped vine clematis, which bloom downwards, are collectively referred to as Hansyooduru in Japan.
Mariko Nakanishi
C. obvallata var. obvallata iyoensis
Hansyoo bell in belfry
I will introduce you to Clematis japonica Thunb. in this article. C. japonica Thunb. is a small, glossy japonica with a crimson purple color. Having said that, in the various places in Japan where it grows their appearance is slightly different, and it is quite fun to look at them carefully.
基本種Clematis japonica Thunb., the basic species:
In Japan, it is called Hansyooduru (半鐘蔓).
They are deciduous, woody vine plants. The leaves are ovate 4–9 cm long, single with three-lobes each twin-pronged, with serrated teeth at the top of the edges. The petiole is 6-12 cm long, with one crimson purple bell-shaped flower pointing downward at the tip. The flowering season is from May to June. The peduncle is long-ovate, about 6 cm long, and the length of the flower column is 3-4 cm.
It is distributed in Honshu and Kyushu in Japan. It is distributed mainly in temperate regions, growing on forest edges and in the forests. It blooms with vines tangled around the forest edge at the foot of the mountain. The petals do not open much, and when you touch it, the flower bud is quite hard. This family is characterized by the absence of petals but the appearance of them formed from the four sepals.
The species has many geographical variations, and the position of a pair of small bracts, like two umbrellas, on the flower is decisive in identification.
C. japonica bracts: small bracts have a pair of needle-shaped bracts around the centre of the floral pattern.
Clematis japonica var. japonica villosa.
In Japan it is called Ke Hansyooduru (毛半鐘蔓).
Vine woody plants. The leaves are three-leaved biplane at a time, and the leaflets are ovate and 2~3 cm long. The leaf tip is sharp-headed – sharp-pointed – and has coarse serrated teeth.
The flowers are clustered at the end of the branches each year, blooming in a bell-shape with facing downwards, with four sepals, purplish-brown and pale purplish-brown hairs on the outside (the “Ke” in Ke Hansyooduru means hair). The flowering season is from May to June.
It is a variant of C. japonica Thunb., characterized by pale yellow-brown hairs on the entire outer surface of the sepals and hairy on the outside of the sepals.
Honshu (Chugoku region) ~ Kyushu, forest edge, grows in the forest.
Clematis obvallata var. obvallata shikokiana.
In Japan, it is called Shikoku Hansyooduru (四国半鐘蔓).
Woody deciduous vine plant.
The leaves are three-leaved biplane at a time, the leaflets are ovate and 3 ~ 8 cm long, with serrated teeth at the upper edges. The flowers are dark crimson purple with a bellshaped flower sticking out from the leaf axils, and there are no petals, and it consists of 4 sepals, about 3 cm long.
C. japonia flower with umbrella like bracts
C. japonica leaf
C. obvallata var. obvallata shikokiana flower bud with bracts
C. obvallata var. obvallata shikokiana leaf
C. obvallata flower with bracts
Clematis obvallata has a similar flower pattern to that of the flower C. japonica Thunb. but the small bracts are attached close to the flower, and the size is short at 12 ~ 15 mm, with about 1 or 2 sepals in this species. Its natural habitat is the forest edges of the Shikoku Mountains. The flowering season is from May to June. Some say that there is no distinction between this variant and Clematis obvallata var. iyoensis (a synonym). The small bracts with only about 4~7 mm are divided as in Clematis obvallata var. iyoensis.
Clematis obvallata var. obvallata iyoensis
In Japan it is called Iyo Hansyooduru (伊予半鐘蔓). Vine shrub. It grows naturally on forest edges in the mountains. The flowering season is from April to May. The leaves are three-pronged biplane at a time, and the leaflets are oval and serrated.
A floral pattern emerges from the base of a branch that has grown that year, and a single dark crimson purple bell-shaped flower opens downwards. There are no petals, the sepals are noticeable with 4 pieces. The small bracts are 4~7 mm, between 1/4 to 1/6 the length of the sepals.
This variant and Clematis obvallata var. shikokiana: there is also a view that there is no distinction (so a synonym), but it is difficult to distinguish due to where it grows.
Clematis obvallata.
In Japan it is called Kooya Hansyooduru (高野半鐘蔓). Vine semi-shrub.
The leaves are three-pronged biplane at a time, and the leaflets are ovate. The tip of the leaf is sharp, with serrated teeth on the edges.
The flowers are similar to Clematis japonica Thunb. The small bracts are like two umbrellas attached to the flower and the tip is short. The small bracts and the flower (sepals) are close together. The small bracts are broad-oval ~ ovate, 13 ~ 20 mm long, and cover about 3/4 of the sepals. The sepals are four-ripped and the tip is recurved.
The sepals and small bracts become purplish-brown in whole or in part.
It grows naturally on the forest edges and in the woods of Honshu (Kii Peninsula).
The flower season is from May to June.
It is characterized by a bract (a small bract) attached to the sepal, and other bracts that are large and cover the sepals like a hat. With this difference in the length of the bracts it is Clematis obvallata var. shikokiana. Clematis obvallata varieties: this size difference is important because it separates it from iyoensis. The vines are also thick, grow right to the top of the treetops, and bloom with many flowers near the treetops.
This close relative of Clematis japonica, the dark crimson purple small flowers are sombre but have various characteristics, delight the eyes of climbers while trekking, and the small bracts are called angel wings by lovers. The more I learn, the more I am healed by its cuteness. When COVID-19 subsides, visit this lovely clematis homeland in Japan.
Note: Shikoku, Iyo and Kooya are place names.
‘Scartho Gem’
What’s in a Name?
Ken Black
Well, when it comes to plants, quite a lot, I think.
Whenever I see a plant that bears the name of a person, an event or a place, my curiosity is raised. Gardens are as much about people as they are about plants. The link between gardens and those that design, plant and tend them is so strong. As an amateur grower of clematis, I also believe that it is more fulfilling to have a relationship with a named plant than one which is just a numbered cultivar. Naming a plant gives it life and perhaps a personality. So, what are the factors and influences that contribute to choosing a name?
I suppose my interest in plant names goes back to the days of Geoffrey Smith, who was a well-known broadcaster and TV gardener, and was one of the presenters of Gardeners’ World between 1979 and 1996. I remember him talking about growing pinks (Dianthus plumarius) and he said that quite often the origin of the name of a new pink was a secret known only to the grower, and that this was a tradition which allowed growers to use names that had private and sometimes romantic associations. Whether this is true, or whether I have remembered incorrectly after all this time matters not, but my curiosity about plant names stems from there and has not diminished.
Helen and I have been known to buy a plant purely because of the attractiveness or quirkiness of the name, and this has often happened with English roses. We have in our garden Ferdinand Pichard, Gentle Hermione, Mistress Quickly, The Ingenious Mr Fairchild and Mortimer Sackler; all purchases based on being first attracted by the name, before even considering the colour or beauty of the flowers. Mind you, had we known more, at the time, about the real Mortimer Sackler we probably would not have bought it.
At this point I feel that I should reassure readers that most of our roses have been bought for more sensible reasons of colour and form, and some because of the significance to us of the name. For example, Geoff Hamilton – in memory of the halcyon days of Gardeners’ World, and The Alnwick Rose – because of our love of Northumberland.
When it comes to clematis, names have a particular importance to me because often they are associated with the grower, or the nursery where they were bred, and in the case of the older cultivars, many of those nurseries no longer exist. I sometimes buy clematis because of their historic importance to me, not that my lust for clematis is always driven by such lofty motives. Like anyone who is enthralled with this wonderful genus, I will see a ‘new to me’ clematis in bloom and realize that it needs a good home – mine!
Although many of the clematis in my collection are older cultivars it doesn’t mean that I don’t have many modern hybrids, I do, and those have all been purchased because of their flower quality. Older cultivars do however hold a special place in my collection, for reasons already stated. Some may be more difficult to grow than others, but I’m determined to do my best to preserve them before they cease to be available commercially.
So, what criteria do growers use when naming a clematis? Do they name them after a relative or friend, an event, or something which describes the flower? I have looked through the catalogues of many well-known growers to see if there are patterns to naming clematis and concluded that most of the names can be placed under one of the following four headings.
Many Polish clematis are named after events. Cultivars such as ‘Polish Spirit’ and ‘Warszawska Nike’ were bred by Brother Stefan Franczak and named to commemorate the struggles of Polish people during the Second World War. If you look at his collection of clematis, you will see that many bear the name of an event to be remembered. However, as you will see under the third heading, people of historic importance to Poland are also commemorated.
In 2004, four new clematis were introduced to commemorate the Bicentenary of the Royal Horticultural Society. They were bred by RJ Evison/Poulson Roser and named after the then four RHS gardens, WISLEY ‘Evipo001’, ROSEMOOR ‘Evipo002’, HARLOW CARR ‘Evipo004’ and HYDE HALL ‘Evipo009’. I still have C. WISLEY and C. HARLOW CARR in my garden and I think that they are fabulous plants. C. HARLOW CARR always produces lots of flowers and remains in bloom for up to two months. I have tried to collect all four of these clematis, but they are, unfortunately, no longer available.
The latest of mine to be named, although not yet registered, is planted next to our front gate and was labelled as a seedling derived from C. ‘Frances Rivis’. It was a riot of colour in early April when we had one of our garden openings, and a visitor suggested that, because of its vibrance and proximity to the gate, it should be named party gate. So, if I can take enough cuttings this year and the plant is still looking good next Spring, I shall register it as C. ‘Partygate’!
‘Warszawska Nike’ HARLOW CARR
‘Partygate’
2: An association with a place
Some years ago, I was contacted by a lady who had traced me through the Royal Horticultural Society (although how I don’t know). She wanted to know if I had C. ‘Scartho Gem’ for sale. Scartho is a village near Cleethorpes where Pennell’s Clematis Nursery used to be, and it was Walter Pennell who raised ‘Scartho Gem’ as an early large flowered cultivar and named it after the village. I usually don’t sell clematis but happened to have a parent plant and three youngsters which I had grown on from cuttings. Her reason for the inquiry was because her husband had recently died and, because he had been born in Scartho, she wanted the cultivar to remember him by. I duly sent her two plants and a few weeks later she contacted me again to say that her gardener had successfully planted them and that they were doing well.
There are numerous examples of clematis named after places although sometimes the reason for this is unclear. If you look at the list of cultivars registered by Everett Leeds, you will see that 5 out of 9 carry the name ’Buckland’. I now know that this refers to the village in which he and his wife Carol used to live, but unless you had the chance to ask, that connection would be rather obscure.
3: In homage to, or in memory of, a person
This is a very popular way to name a clematis. Many are named after wives, sons, daughters etc. All the clematis introduced by Jim Fisk have a personal association. ‘Alice Fisk’ is named after his mother, ‘Gladys Pickard’ and ‘Gillian Blades’ after his secretaries, and ‘Jane Cadge’ after the eldest daughter of his fellow clematis breeder Frank Cadge. He did name an
‘Scartho Gem’
‘Gladys Pickard’
‘Jan Pawel II’
atragene C. macropetala ‘Wesselton’ which is where he lived, and there is also an heracleifolia ‘Fulton’s Variety’ attributed to Jim Fisk, but there is uncertainty as to whether he was the breeder.
Whether it is family members, friends or colleagues, the use of people’s names was and still is very popular. Famous and/or important people play a significant role, and at certain times may be very good for marketing purposes. I was recently asked to provide a clematis for our village Jubilee raffle, and I selected a montana ‘Elizabeth’ because it had been introduced in 1953 and named after the young Queen.
Another good example again comes from Poland with Clematis ‘Jan Paweł II’ in memory of the first Polish Pope. It is sold in the UK as C. ‘John Paul II’ and I love the colour and size of the flowers.
Many people like to collect clematis that have a royal connection and there are now quite a few to choose from. C. ‘Princess Diana’ (Barry Fretwell, 1984) is still very popular as is C. ‘Princess Kate’ (J van Zoest, 2011) which I think is a superior texensis. I grow it in a large pot beneath a snake bark maple which it climbs each year, with the help of some string. Possibly one of the most widely grown clematis with royal connections is C. ‘Prince Charles’ which was bred in New Zealand by Alister Keay and introduced in 1976. I can’t remember for how long I have had it in my garden, but it is, as my friend Richard Hodson would say, “a good doer” and well worth its place. Although I also have C. ‘Prince George’ in my collection I don’t consider myself much of a royalist and have not consciously collected these clematis because of their names but because I think that they are good plants.
‘Princess Kate’
‘Roz Kelly’
‘Bill McKenzie’
I raise some clematis from seed each year and have three that I have named but so far, only my first one has been registered with the RHS. That is ‘Roz Kelly’, a seedling from C. alpina ‘Willy’ which, I think, has been cross pollinated from C. ‘Broughton Bride’. It is currently undergoing commercial trials and was named after a friend and colleague in The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir, who died a few years ago and is still much missed by many of us. My aim is to produce enough plants for all her relatives and friends to have one in their gardens.
Although “Clematis on the Web” is a very good source of information about clematis it contains only limited information about the tangutica cultivar ‘Bill MacKenzie’ and how it was named. Bill MacKenzie ran the Alpine and Herbaceous Department at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh and discovered the variety on a visit to the Waterperry School of Horticulture near Oxford in 1968. He is credited with raising it and at first glance I thought that he had named it after himself. He died in 1995 and in an obituary, which appeared in the ‘Independent’ newspaper, it says that the variety was named after him by Valerie Finnis because “it was his observant eye that spotted it”. She later showed the clematis at an RHS show, where it won an award of merit and went on to gain the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) in 1993.
From a marketing perspective, there is also an advantage to naming a clematis after a public figure or celebrity in the hope that it would prove popular and therefore boost sales. I suppose one must be careful about using well-known names in case the person in question falls from grace in the eyes of the public and sales of the clematis therefore drop significantly. For example, at the time of writing, I don’t suppose a clematis called Boris would do very well in the marketplace!
1. An apt description of the cultivar
If you read the article ‘Testing New Cultivars’ by Marie Laure Rauline, which appeared in last year’s BCS Journal (page 122) you will, I think, conclude that the name given to a new clematis, in the current competitive commercial environment, is a very important aspect of marketing and, along with its qualities as a plant, crucial to its success. This is also clearly something which Raymond Evison is acutely aware of. Over the last 25 years he has introduced a huge number of new cultivars some of which have been themed such as the RHS garden collection I have already mentioned and the more recent Boulevard Collection of patio clematis, many of which have what I would call ‘frilly names’ to match their frilly appearance: CORINNE ‘Evipo063’; CHEVALIER ‘Evipo040’; FILIGREE ‘Evipo029’; GISELLE ‘Evipo051’ to name but a few.
One of the most appropriately and descriptively named clematis in my collection is ‘Blue Dancer’, because in a spring breeze these wonderful bell-shaped blue flowers dance. It is the only way to describe them.
One of the least appropriate descriptive names in my collection, and apologies to Wim Snoeijer, is C. ‘My Angel’. Don’t get me wrong, this is a wonderful clematis with small exquisitely shaded yellow flowers, and I would not wish to be without it in my garden, but an angel it is not. Once established it began to appear in various
locations in the garden and is now so widespread that I can’t remember where I first planted it. C. ‘My Angel’ goes where it wants and uses any rose, shrub, or tree to haul itself up into the light. It is a real survivor.
Conclusion
I appreciate that this article is based on personal opinion rather than scientific research, but it appears to me, in more recent times, professional growers have placed greater emphasis on using names which will, they think, enhance the commercial value of a clematis than hitherto. The costs of production and marketing, not to mention transport, have undoubtedly trumped any desire to use a name that has only a private significance. A look through the search engines of “Clematis on the Web” will confirm this. So, what’s in a name? More than ever, I think.
‘My Angel’ CORINNE
‘Blue Dancer’
What’s in a name, Mark II
Everett Leeds
C. repens, presently C. ‘Bells of Emei Shan’.
Firstly, let me admit that I have no botanical training, I’m just a simple gardener.
So, back in 2002, following a visit to Dan Hinckley’s garden and nursery at Heronswood, Kingston, Washington, USA we made our acquaintance with a plant, then un-named and un-identified but with a nursery given name of Clematis ssp. aff. kweichowensis DJHC 795 (‘aff’ in this instances meaning ‘affinity to’). This was because it had a similar look and shape to C. kweichowensis although it was from a different country, Japan, whereas DJHC 795 was found in China at a high altitude, 2600 m on the side of Mount Emei in Sichuan, China.
We imported a quantity of these plants and I set about trying to identify them. Having a long friendship (starting with a baby-sitting group in the 1960s) with Brian Mathew, a senior botanist at the Herbarium, Kew (VMH 1991, MBE 2005) we searched the
C. otophera
herbarium and after looking at the Key to Chinese species in the Flora of China, recognised C. repens submitted by Wilson in 1905. I wrote to Professor Long Yahi in Beijing in 2006 submitting a good set of photographs and she agreed it was indeed C. repens.
However, it then went into the realms of the experts who decided that it could not be relied upon to be a good representation of the species and was therefore given the trade name of ‘Bells of Emei Shan’. The fact that growing conditions, weather, soil and nutrients can all have a bearing on the size and shape of flowers, especially one that has been found growing in the wild, must in my mind be taken into consideration. The fact that some flowers may be slightly different to others in size is I think, the norm not the exception, providing the differences are minimal. There is still not a picture of the plant of the species on the web site, Clematis on the Web, under its proper name.
Similarly, C. urophylla is now generally known by the trade name ‘Winter Beauty’. Why? To make it more saleable, simple as that. In my view trade names should not be given to Species.
While we are on the topic of species, I have been growing another C. repens look-alike called C. otophera. The main difference being that it is a climber whereas repens is more of scrambler. The leaves are different too, but the flowers have a remarkable similarity in shape and colour. I’m having a go using it to hybridise, but unfortunately also now have C. songarica to try and replicate a form of C. ‘Buckland Cascade’ now sadly extinct.
C. repens
C. repens
C. otophera
First montanas planted at Parham House Garden
– the start of a new Dispersed Collection
Val Le May Neville Parry
In June 2021, our British Clematis Society (BCS) secretary, Julian Noble, sent out a plea to members via the Newsletter. Two previous attempts by me to support another setting to develop and maintain a Montana Group Collection failed after several years of supplying rooted cuttings to the gardens. At age 80, something needed to be done to preserve the group – urgently. Knowing this, Plant Heritage members Rosie Yeomans, Lynsey and John Pink and Julian took cuttings of varieties and cultivars unavailable commercially in June 2021 and again in 2022.
Julian and I discussed the possibility of a Dispersed Collection1. Perhaps not ideal for visitors wanting to see and select from all available species and cultivars in the group but at least the entire Collection won’t be lost if one person falls off the list of gardens holding named plants. It is also valuable to have groups of cultivars spread across the country so that interested members of the public can visit in their local area and see plants growing in similar soil and weather conditions to their own. We put the idea to Rosie, the Hampshire National Collections Coordinator. Rosie agreed.
In the June 2021 Newsletter Julian asked for volunteers to become part of a Dispersed Collection1 of the Montana Group. Andrew Humphris, newly appointed Head Gardener at Parham House and Gardens in West Sussex, replied immediately, stating that they were starting on a programme of renewal of the Parham 4 acre walled garden and, as Lady Emma Barnard DL, Chairman of Parham Park Limited wrote on their website “With his (Andrew’s) help and guidance, we will be continuing the programme of renewal, renovation and conservation that we started in 2020 – Andrew’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable.” Historical family documents indicate that a previous collection of Clematis, including montanas, had been grown in the Parham gardens particularly in the 1960s.
Andrew was previously Head Gardener at Wollerton Old Hall. Wollerton Old Hall had an extensive clematis collection so Andrew is experienced in establishing and growing clematis. He is also a member of the BCS.
Julian visited Parham to discuss the project with Andrew. Clearing the beds of convolvulus has been a project since Andrew’s arrival at Parham. Very hard work of course, but it has created an opportunity for new planting. With hundreds of metres of high and low walls and many ancient trees, it is the perfect setting for all groups of clematis. On being given the go-ahead by Julian, my young friend, Moira, drove us to the gardens on Thursday 19th August 2021. It took my breath away as we entered the estate set within the rolling South Downs – pure poetry. An inviting setting in which to see the Collection. A meeting with Andrew was followed by an introduction to Lady Emma and her husband, James Barnard. Andrew visited By The Way on 3rd September 2021, leaving with a smile on his face and a fair number of mature montana cultivars tucked into his car. The ball had started to roll. Julian delivered mature plants to Parham the week before the first planting on 30th September 2022.
Lynsey and John Pink attended the planting, bringing a range of immature rooted cultivars, material taken from By The Way plants in June 2021 and 2022. I took Clematis montana var. rubens ‘Veitch’, cuttings rooted from the original plant kindly taken in November 2020 by Alan Postill, Master Propagator at Hilliers for well over fifty years and given to me to distribute. Veitch’ won the inaugural Plant Heritage ‘Threatened Plant of the Year 2020’. It has been a team effort with both Plant Heritage and BCS members providing plants for this special garden.
Lady Emma’s family, particularly her great aunt Veronica Tritton, have been interested in introducing clematis into the garden for nearly a century – Lady Emma has Veronica’s records of purchases and plantings from the 1960s which have been inspected and copied by Julian.
Lady Emma told us that a montana label was found in one part of the gardens – the date was 193? – they are unable to decipher neither final digit nor cultivar. I have written to Sarah Holme, current International Clematis Registrar, to ask if she can provide us with a list of montana cultivars available in the early to mid-1930s. Sarah intends to search her records.
The planting party on 30th September was Lady Emma Barnard, Andrew Humphris and garden team, Lyndy Kessel, archivist at Parham, Lizzie Gibbison, Chair, and Julian, Secretary, representing BCS, Gill Groombridge, Business Manager of Plant Heritage, Drs Gary and Maria Firth, Sussex Plant Heritage National Collections Coordinators, Lynsey and John Pink, Salvia spp Collection Holders, my plantswoman friend, Jo Seago, and me. A good representation of parties involved in supporting the establishment of the embryonic Dispersed Montana Group collection. The weather forecast was pretty grim for the 30th September – rain all day after weeks of drought – and strong winds from early afternoon. Not ideal. But the day dawned bright and calm and continued peaceful throughout the morning. The wind and rain hit us as we drove back home. Meeting at 10.30 we were warmly welcomed by Lady Emma and Andrew with coffee and cake and a display of the historical Parham records, kept by Lady Emma’s great aunt, Veronica Tritton, of previous clematis planting.
I presented Andrew with the ‘Veitch’ montana – not ready for planting, but a strong, healthy plant. Then it was out into the sun filled
walled garden. The garden team was waiting for us near the first planting hole.
Lady Emma took the spade and the first of many Clematis Montana plants, Giant Star, was soon safely in the ground. C. ‘Gistar’ GIANT STAR. A sincere thank you to the great team that has supported getting a major part of a dispersed National Collection of Clematis Montana Group in place. I believe Parham, with its expert garden team and superb setting, is the perfect home for the Collection. I hope Lady Emma and family, Andrew and team and future garden visitors will enjoy the abundant montana pink and white perfumed spring flowers for many years to come. It has been a privilege to visit the garden.
Note 1: Plant Heritage aims, through its many and varied National Collections, to ensure the diversity of cultivated plants is kept safe for future generations to utilise and enjoy. A Dispersed Collection is one that is held at various sites; that is what is planned for the Montana Group collection. www.plantheritage.org.uk Parham House and Gardens is open to the public on several days a week from early April until mid-October each year. www.parhaminsussex.co.uk
Clematis ‘Niobe’ grows 2.5 to 3 metres, is very hardy, and can survive in any of chalk, clay, loam or sandy soils. Like most clematis, it prefers the sun but is just as productive in semi shade. It is a Group 2, early large flowerer.
In May to July and again in August – September, it produces large deep red, velvety flowers, between 10-15 centimetres across. The tepals are almost black when they first open and the stamens are a rich butter yellow. As the flowers mature to a luxurious red, the edges of the tepals and the bar remain slightly darker.
It was propagated in Poland by Władysław Noll in 1970, and introduced to the UK by Jim Fisk in 1975; it was an instant success. The parentage is unknown. In 1993 it was awarded the RHS Award for Garden Merit, AGM. So far, so well-known to clematis lovers.
This clematis has thrived on my patio, and I look forward to its arrival each year. However, last year, 2021, proved to be a surprise. ‘Niobe’ flowered abundantly all through summer, almost in response to my regular, “Well done, girl”, as more buds appeared. When she had given of her best in early August, I trimmed her back by a third, gave her
‘Niobe’
a feed and moved her to a semi-shaded position, for a well-earned rest. I was expecting the usual showing of half a dozen slightly smaller flowers in the way of an annual swan song.
Here was the surprise. ‘Niobe’ decided that she was not done for the year. Another twenty blooms were produced, and although smaller, they were just as splendid. As November broke over us, in wind and rain, there were still six blooms doing their best.
I’m left wondering whether the year’s weather played a part, whether the pruning and feeding helped, or whether talking to her did the trick.
In a quiet moment I began to ponder on the name Niobe. [Lockdown gave one even more time to cogitate than usual.] Niobe is a name from mythology and has a sad story associated with it [for more search on-line]. Today, I understand, that her name still signifies a mother’s eternal mourning. Her name also lives on in literature and works of art. What was interesting was to discover that the element Niobium [Nb] is named after her. There is a Mt. Niobe in British Columbia, and four successive Royal Navy ships have been named HMS Niobe. [Traditionally in the UK, the use of the female gender for marine craft relates to the protection and guidance afforded by a mother or goddess, to the ship and its crew].
I think that I shall continue to talk to ‘Niobe’, but perhaps with greater respect.
Buckland Longshanks or Longshrunk?
Everett Leeds
According to those that know, in parts, 2022 has been the hottest summer on record. What did it bring for many plants and trees was the length of time the ‘thermostat’ was turned up a high degree; not for just a few days but many weeks on end. Like for many others, my prayer mat was on strike (perhaps I should get a new one?)
One plant I have in a container, a metal one bushel measure, is C. heracleifolia ‘Longshanks’ that, like many of this section, has only just started coming into flower (late August-early September in NE Surrey). But hang on a minute, where are the long flower stalks from whence it got its name? For some reason it has reverted to type with close fitting flowers on small stalks. I selected this open-pollinated seedling ages ago and for a while it was called ‘To the right of the Kitchen Door’ until we gave it a name linked to its habit and its large growth. I wonder what it will do next year.
‘Buckland Longshanks’
‘Buckland Longshanks’ with short slower stems, 2022
‘Buckland Longshanks, with long flower stems
2021 Clematis Registrations
Sarah Holme, RHS International Registrar for cultivated plants (Clematis and Lily)
Yet again, I have been delighted to receive many new beautiful Clematis cultivars for registration in the past year. Twenty-seven new cultivars were registered in total: twelve from China, eight from Poland, three from Japan, three from USA and one from the UK.
Thank you to all my Registrants who have taken the time to fill out the forms and reply to my emails, I really appreciate your co-operation! For anyone wishing to register new cultivar epithets I would strongly encourage you to contact me in the first instance so that I can check whether the name choices are (a) acceptable (according to the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants) and (b) that they are available to use (i.e., have not been used already).
The most recent Clematis registration application form can be downloaded from http:// www.rhs.org.uk/plants/plantsmanship/plant-registration/Clematis-registration. Please do ensure that your forms are signed in all the relevant places, enabling the RHS to store and publish certain details (especially on page 3, which contains the important General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) information).
New registration applications (or enhancements to existing, published descriptions) should be e-mailed either to sarahholme@rhs.org.uk or clematisregistrar@rhs.org.uk, both will reach me. If you are returning registration forms by post please ensure that they are addressed to: RHS Clematis Registrar, Horticultural Taxonomy, Hilltop Building, RHS Garden Wisley, Woking, Surrey, UK, GU23 6QB.
I look forward to seeing many more of your beautiful cultivars.
Sarah Holme
International Clematis Registrar
patens subsp. tientaiensis ‘Yandang Blue’
Parentage: Selected from wild patens subsp. tientaiensis
REG: Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, China (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 10.6-16.0 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, borne singly in axils. Sepals 6; light violet (91A) becoming very pale violet at base, 3.2-6.4 × 3.4-3.6 cm, elliptic, overlapping to halfway, base cuneate, slightly wavy-margined, rounded at tip but with apiculate apex. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments brilliant yellow-green (150C) becoming paler at base; connectives greyish purple (N77A), anthers very pale purple (75D). Seed-heads persistent, seed tail plumose. Deciduous climber. Lvs ternate, lflets narrowly ovate to broadly lanceolate, blades adaxially glabrous, hairs on underside white (NN155), green when young maturing to mid-green, base rounded; margins entire; tip acute. FL: May and June, on current year’s growth. Hardy. USDA zones 7-10.
Epithet means “Blue of Yandang Mountain” in Chinese. Original script: 雁荡蓝.
tibetana subsp. vernayi
‘Marmalade’ Tangutica
Group
Parentage: Selected from Clematis tibetana subsp. vernayi
REG: R. Hodson (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, broadly bellshaped, nodding or drooping. Buds globose, yellow-green with a light reddish purple mottling which becomes heavier with maturity, becoming dark reddish purple before flower opening. Sepals 4; outside of sepals brownish yellow-orange heavily mottled dark reddish purple, inside of sepals orange-yellow with reddish purple speckling, 3 × 2 cm, elliptic, thick and fleshy, touching at base, long pointed with acute apex, tip point reflexed. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments dark purplish red (N79B); connectives dark purplish red (N79B); anthers pale greenish yellow; pollen brownish orange. Pistils greenish yellow. Seed-heads silvery, persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 3 m, stems purple when mature, sparsely hairy. Lvs ternate, often further divided with two basal lobes, margins entire, tip acute, lobes narrowly elliptic, with occasional scattered hairs when young, lvs blue-green when mature. FL: August to October (outdoors), on current year’s growth. The name is derived from the mottled flower colour.
‘Charmant’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Arabella’ (Fretwell) (s) × ‘Westerplatte’
REG: T. Sano (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish to very shallow cup-shaped, 13 (11-14.4) cm across, upward- or outward-facing.
Sepals 6-8; colour very pale purple (69D), occasionally pale purplish pink (62D) especially when flower just opened, central bar flushed pale yellow-green on opening but fading to very pale purple (69D) when flower mature, base of sepals flushed pale yellow-green which fades on maturity.
Sepals 6.5 (5.5-7.2) × 3.8 (3.0-4.5) cm, narrowly to broadly elliptic, rarely obovate, overlapping, with slightly wavy margins, tip acute to abruptly acute with apiculate apex, tip slightly recurved; outside of sepals minutely hairy, white (NN155D). Staminodes 4.9 cm. Stamens numerous; filaments moderate purplish pink (70D); connectives moderate purplish red (70A); anthers moderate purplish red (70A); pollen white (NN155D). Seed-heads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 0.86 m, stems brownish orange (165B) when young maturing to brownish orange (172C), minutely hairy, white (NN155D). Lvs ternate, blade elliptic, strong yellow-green (144A) when young maturing to moderate yellowish green (N138B); margins entire, underside of leaves minutely hairy, white (NN155D). FL: April – May (outdoors), on current and previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 9a-9b.
‘Charmant’ meaning lovely, charming, delightful in French. The sepals are very thin and semi-transparent. The contrast between the pale yellow-green sepal base with the moderate purplish red anthers, against the very pale, almost white sepals, is just charming.
‘Fairy Bells’ Viticella Group
Parentage: seedling of C. crispa received from a British Clematis Society seed exchange (s) × ‘Kermesina’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, bell-shaped, 5-6 cm across, nodding or drooping, borne singly in axils. Sepals 4; colour light pinkish purple with darker purple veins and bar (on the inside of sepals), 5-6 × 1.5-2 cm, narrowly elliptic, overlapping in basal third to quarter when fully opened, wavy-margined in distal half, long-pointed, tip acute, tip recurved at apex. Staminodes absent. Filaments greenish yellow; anthers yellow-green. Seed-heads not persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 2.5 m, midgreen. Lvs ternate, terminal leaflets further divided, green maturing to mid-green; elliptic, margins entire. FL: mid June-end September (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
‘Fairy Dance’ Viticella Group
Parentage: seedling of C. crispa received from a British Clematis Society seed exchange (s) × ‘Kermesina’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, bell-shaped, 7-8 cm across, nodding or drooping, borne singly in axils. Sepals 4; light purplish blue to light pinkish blue, becoming darker towards sepal edges, with darker veins, 4.5-5.5 × 2-2.5 cm, narrowly elliptic, overlapping in basal half when fully opened, margins finely twisted and minutely wavy (appearing as if it has frayed edges), longpointed, tip acute and recurved at apex. Staminodes absent. Filaments creamy white; anthers creamy yellow. Seed-heads not persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 2.5-3 m, purplish green maturing to mid-green. Lvs ternate and occasionally further divided, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire to occasionally notched; tip acute. FL: Mid-June-end September (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
‘Fairy Slippers’ Viticella Group
Parentage: seedling of C. crispa received from a British Clematis Society seed exchange (s) × ‘Kermesina’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, bell-shaped, 5-6 cm across, nodding or drooping, borne singly in axils. Sepals 4; inside of sepals cream coloured at base becoming light purple-pink at the tips and margins, outside of sepals light purple distally and at the margins and more pink along the veins, 3-5 × 2-3 cm, narrowly elliptic, overlapping in basal third to half when fully opened, with slightly wavy margins, long-pointed, tip acute and recurved at apex. Staminodes absent. Filaments creamy white; anthers creamy grey. Seed-heads not persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 2.5-3 m. Lvs divided, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire; tip acute. Mid-June-end September (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
‘Guanju’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Betty Risdon’ (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 9-15 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, borne singly in axils. Sepals 8; deep purplish red (71A) over a pinkish white ground, colour becoming more intense towards margins and apex, progressively more pinkish white to white towards base of sepal, outer sepals deep purplish red (71A) over a pinkish white ground, three prominent midribs deep purplish red. Sepals elliptic to obovate, touching at base, base cuneate, rounded at tip but with a distinct apiculus. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white; connectives light greenish yellow (3C); anthers light greenish yellow (3C). Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 0.8-1.5 m. Lvs pinnate, with 3-5 lflets, brownish green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. Stem, underside of leaves and sepals with downy indumentum. FL: April to May on current year’s and previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 关雎. 关雎, Guanju, is the title of the first poem in “The Book of Songs”.
‘Keqing’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Diamond Ball’ (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 7-8 cm across, upward- or outward-facing. Sepals 8-9; inside of sepal purplish blue with a brilliant purple (N87C) bar, elliptic to broadly elliptic, overlapping, wavymargined, rounded at tip but with a small apiculus, tip slightly recurved, outside of sepals with downy hairs. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white (NN155D), connectives and anthers dark purplish red (N79C). Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 0.8-1.5 m.
Lvs ternate, brownish green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: April on previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 可卿. 可卿, Keqing, was one of the twelve beauties of Jinling in “A Dream of Red Mansions”.
‘Blue Cotillion’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Maria Skłodowska Curie’ (s) × ‘My Darling’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single to semi-double, flat or flattish, 16-22 cm across, upward- or outward-facing, borne singly in axils, not scented. Sepals 8, with up to 25 staminodes; light blue with a paler blue to blueish white bar, 7.5-8.5 × 4.5-5 cm, elliptic to broadly elliptic, overlapping, wavy-margined, rounded to acute at tip, with a distinct apiculus. Staminodes 2-8 cm. Filaments white; connectives purple; anthers purple. Seed-heads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.5 m; stems purplish green when young maturing to mid-green. Lvs simple to divided into 3-5 leaflets, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire; tip acute. FL: end May-beginning of July, sometimes September (outdoors), on previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
‘Królowa Bona’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: S. M cross ‘36-113-04’ (s) × ‘Jerzy Popiełuszko’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, semi-double to double, flat or flattish, 9-12 cm across, upward- or outward-facing, borne singly in axils. Sepals 6-8, in Spring with up to 40 staminodes. Sepals violet purple with purplish red bar that lightens as flower colour fades slightly on maturity, 5-6.5 × 3-4 cm, broadly elliptic, overlapping, with slightly wavy margins (particularly in the semi-double to double flowers), rounded (but with a distinct apiculus) to acute at tip, tip sometimes recurved, outside of sepals with light grey hairs. Staminodes 2-8 cm and same colour as sepals. Filaments creamy white; anthers pale yellow. Seedheads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.5-2 m, stems purplish green when young maturing to green. Lvs divided, with light grey hairs on underside, green maturing to mid-green, base cordate; margins entire; tip rounded to acute. FL: beginning June to end of July, sometimes September (outdoors), on previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9.
Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
Bona Sforza d’Aragona (2nd February 1494 – 19th November 1557) was Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, and the second wife of Sigismund I the Old. Smart, energetic and ambitious, Bona became heavily involved in the political and cultural life of Poland-Lithuania. To increase state revenue, she implemented various economic and agricultural reforms, including the far reaching Wallach Reform in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.
‘Maroon One’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Hayate’ (s) × ‘Benikomachi’
REG: T. Sano (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, initially cupshaped becoming flat or flattish after approximately one week, 10.9 (8.4-14.2) cm across, upward- or outward-facing, not scented. Sepals 6-8; flower opens light yellow-green (145D) becoming moderate purplish pink (70D) then strong purplish red (60B) whilst in a ‘half-open state’, central bar strong purple (N80A); sepals become deep purplish red (59B) in the ‘full-open state’ (i.e. darker and more red) with a velvet-like surface. At this point, the anthers and sepals are very similar in colour. Approximately two weeks after flowering, the sepals become strong reddish purple (72B). Outside of sepals with yellowish white (NN155A) or white (NN155D) indumentum. Sepal 5.5 (4.27.1) × 2.5 (2.0-3.2) cm in the ‘full-open state’. Sepals narrowly to broadly elliptic (prior to sepal drop), overlapping, touching at base but with gaps between just prior to sepal drop, with slightly wavy margins, tip acute and long-pointed becoming more rounded by the end of the ‘half-open state’, tip slightly recurved. Staminodes present, 4.3 cm long, same colour as sepals. Stamens numerous; filaments pale yellow-green at base; connectives light purple (84B); anthers dark purple (79A). Seed-heads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.07 m, stems moderate reddish orange (173B) when young maturing to dark red (183A); with yellowish white (NN155A) or white (NN155D) indumentum. Lvs divided into 3 leaflets, ternate, occasionally further divided, elliptic, margins entire, moderate yellowish green (138A) maturing to moderate olive green (137B); with yellowish white (NN155A) or white (NN155D) indumentum on the underside of leaves. April – May (outdoors) on current and previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 9a-9b.
In the ‘full-open’ state, the sepals and anthers of this species are almost the same magenta, with those colours being similar to maroon, hence the name ‘Maroon One’. In the ‘halfopen’ state, the sepals are cup-shaped and the opening may be reduced at night and in the rain. After about five days of flowering, the sepals become thicker, slightly twisted, and reach a ‘full-open’ state. Pollen is rarely found in anthers in the ‘half-open’ state but increases in the ‘full-open’ state.
‘Mian Hua Tang’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Marie Boisselot’ (s) × lanuginosa
REG: Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, China (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 13.5-14.8 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, borne in a dichasial cyme. Sepals 6; bluish white (N155A), 6.71-7.35 × 4.12-4.43 cm, elliptic to broadly elliptic, marginally overlapping, with very slightly wavy margins, rounded at tip but with a distinct apiculus. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments light yellowgreen (154D) at base becoming pinkish white; connectives greyish purplish red (N77B); anthers pale orange-yellow (159B); pollen yellowish white. Styles and stigmas creamy white. Seed-heads persistent, seed tail plumose. Deciduous climber, stems yellow-green maturing to green, with downy hairs. Lvs ternate, sparsely hairy, yellow-green maturing to green; margins entire; tip acute. FL: May and June (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 7-10.
Original script: ‘棉花糖’ means ‘candy floss’ in Chinese.
‘Miaoyu’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Diamond Ball’ (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, semi-double, flat or flattish, 10-15 cm across, upwardor outward-facing. Sepals 21; white (NN155D), outermost sepal tips occasionally with irregular light yellowgreen patches and flushed a very pale pink at the apex, elliptic, overlapping, wavy-margined, long-pointed, outside of sepals with downy hairs. Staminodes present. Stamens numerous; filaments pale yellow-green; connectives strong purplish red (60C); anthers strong purplish red (60D); pollen white; stigmas creamy white. Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 1-2 m. Lvs ternate, brownish green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: April-May on previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 妙玉. 妙玉, Miaoyu, was one of the twelve beauties of Jinling in “A Dream of Red Mansions”. The contrast between the white sepals and purple-red stamens is very beautiful.
‘Micchann’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: patens ‘Manshuu Ki’ WADA’S PRIMROSE (s) × Aquilegia sp
REG: T. Sano (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 12.6 (11.6-14.0) cm across, upward- or outward-facing, with a slight but refreshing scent. Sepals 8-10; inside sepals yellowish white or pinkish white, contrasting with the orange-yellow anthers; pinkish central bar, flushed pale green on either side and towards tip; colouration on the outside of the sepals similar to that of the inside but with the central bar appearing more greenish yellow. Sepals 6.3 (5.8-7.0) × 3.1 (2.4-3.6) cm. Sepal margins rolled inwards after opening, gradually becoming flat, narrowly to broadly elliptic, thick and fleshy, overlapping, long-pointed, tip acute with apiculate apex, tip slightly recurved on maturity, touching at base but with gaps between just prior to sepal drop, outside of sepals with yellowish white (NN155A) or white (NN155D) indumentum. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments pale yellowgreen (4D), connectives yellow-green; anthers light orange-yellow (22B). Seed-heads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.44 m; stems moderate orange (N170B) when young maturing to reddish grey (201C), with yellowish white (NN155A) or white (NN155D) indumentum. Lvs divided into 3 leaflets, ternate, occasionally further divided, elliptic, margins entire, tip rounded to acute, strong yellowish green (143C) maturing to moderate yellow-green (138B), with yellowish white (NN155A) or white (NN155D) indumentum on the underside of leaves. FL: April – May (outdoors) on current and previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 9a-9b.
The cultivar epithet ‘Micchann’ is a nickname used by the Registrant for his wife who has warmly supported his Clematis hybridization work. The romaji notation was used, which seems to be phonetically similar. This cultivar is a cross between Clematis patens ‘Manshuu ki’ WADA’S PRIMROSE (seed parent) and Aquilegia (pollen parent). The latter does not belong to Clematis however both parents belong to the same Ranunculaceae family. The breeder considers this apomixis rather than intergeneric hybridisation (Clematis International 2021, 32-46. Intergeneric hybridisation. T.Sano, Pers comm. T. Sano, Sept 2021).
‘Polonia Restituta’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Westerplatte’ (s) × ‘Beautiful Bride’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 14-16 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, borne singly in axils. Sepals 4-6; velvety maroon with a distinct reddish bar, sepal turning purple when fading, 7-9 × 3.5-4 cm, elliptic, slightly overlapping at base to having gaps between sepals, with slightly wavy margins, long-pointed acute tip with apiculus, sepal margins rolled inwards when young revealing pale purplish grey colour, underside of sepals with light grey indumentum. Staminodes absent. Filaments pale purple; anthers yellow. Seed-heads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.5-1.8 m, stems purplish when young. Lvs simple and divided (into 3-5 leaflets), green maturing to mid-green, margins entire; tip acute. FL: Early June-July, sometimes August (outdoors), on previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9. Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
The Order of Polonia Restituta (in English it translates to Order of the Rebirth of Poland) is a Polish State Order which was established on 4th February 1921. It is awarded for outstanding achievements in the fields of education, science, sport, culture, art, economics, national defence, social work, civil service, or for furthering good relations between countries.
‘Qiaojie’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Bees’ Jubilee’ (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 10-15 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing. Sepals 7-8; inside white (NN155D) with a strong purplish pink (63C) bar which fades on maturity to light purplish pink (63D); broadly elliptic, overlapping, with slightly wavy margins, rounded at tip but with a distinct apiculus. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white (NN155D); connectives strong purplish red (60C); anthers white (NN155D); pollen white. Pistils yellowish white. Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 1-1.5 m. Lvs ternate, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. Stem and outside of sepals with downy indumentum. FL: April-May on previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 巧姐 巧姐, Qiaojie, was one of the twelve beauties of Jinling in “A Dream of Red Mansions”. The colour of the sepals is ‘fresh and beautiful’.
‘Stellar’ Flammula Group
Parentage: terniflora ‘Early Snow’ (s) × terniflora var. mandshurica selection from fragrant flowers
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 3.5-3.7 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, borne in a star-shaped panicle, scented. Sepals 4; creamy white, 1.7 × 0.6 cm, narrowly elliptic to narrowly obovate, star-shaped, with wide gaps between sepals, rounded to blunt at apex. Staminodes absent. Filaments white; anthers creamy white to pale yellow. Seed-heads not persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 3 m, stems purplish green maturing to mid-green. Lvs divided into 3-5 leaflets, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: MidAugust-end September (outdoors), on current year’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 5-9.
Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
Care should be taken not to confuse this cultivar with the Early Large-flowered ‘Stella’ (Jackman, 1872) and the Viticella ‘Stella’ (Markham, 1937). Name accepted under article 30.2 of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants (2016, 9th ed).
‘Tao’ Late Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Utopia’ (s) × unknown
REG: G.W. Vann (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, slightly cupped and symmetric, 12-13 cm across, upward- or outward-facing, biaxillary and terminal flowers, not scented. Sepals 6; inside of sepals violet over a white ground, base and central bar becoming paler with age, margins dark violet; outside of sepals violet, calyces light yellow-green with dark purple ribs. Sepals 5.5 × 3.5 cm, ovate to elliptic, overlapping and touching at base, tip acute with apiculate apex. Short staminodes present. Stamens numerous, filaments white; anthers purple-black. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 2-2.5 m. Lvs divided into three leaflets. Young leaves green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: June-July (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy in USDA zones 6-9.
‘Taoyao’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Danuta’ (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single (on new stems) to semi-double (on old stems), flat or flattish, 10-15 cm across, upward- or outward-facing, with 4-7 pairs of buds on each branch. Sepals 5-6; white (NN155D), central bar vivid reddish purple at base (N74B) and along length of sepal but with the colour becoming less intense distally and either side of bar so that tip is only suffused with pale pinkish white over a white ground; intensity of colour fading on maturity. Sepals elliptic to slightly obovate, with gaps between and touching only at base, base cuneate, with slightly wavy-margins, tip acute with apiculate apex. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments pale yellowgreen; connectives orange-yellow (164B); anthers creamy white. Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 0.8-1.5 m. Lvs pinnate, with 3-5 lflets, brownish green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. Stem and underside of leaves with downy indumentum. FL: April to May, on current year’s and previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 桃夭. 桃夭 is the title of “Taoyao” in “The Book of Songs”. Semi-double flowers on old branches and one flower per branch. The number of flowers on the new branch is about 8-12 per branch.
‘Travis’ Viorna Group
Parentage: pitcheri (s) × texensis
REG: G.W. Vann (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, urn-shaped, nodding or drooping, bi-axillary and terminal flowers, not scented. Sepals 4; outside of sepals purplish red with free margins dark purple-red, inside of sepals deep red, 3-3.5 × 1 cm, narrowly ovate to elliptic, thick and fleshy, tips recurved, free margins minutely wavy, with relatively fine ribs and gracile form. Short staminodes present. Filaments creamy white; anthers yellow. Seed-heads not persistent, with mildly plumose seed tails. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 2-2.5 m. Leaves pinnate, first set of leaves divided, thereafter leaves single with terminal trifoliate leaflets, including prehensile tendrils. Young leaves green maturing to dull mid-green; margins entire. FL: June-July (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy in USDA zones 6-9.
‘Walter’ Viticella Group
Parentage: ‘Misayo’ (s) × ‘Fairydust’
REG: G.W. Vann (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 8.5-9.5cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, bi-axillary and terminal flowers, not scented. Sepals 4-5 (usually 4); inside of sepals strong purplish blue over a white ground with broad white bars centrally, outside of sepals purplish blue, calyces yellow with blue ribs; 4.5-5 × 3-3.5 cm, broadly elliptic to broadly ovate, slightly overlapping and touching at base, blunt (occasionally acute) at tip, tip occasionally recurved. Short staminodes present. Stamens numerous; filaments greenish yellow, anthers red. Seed-heads not persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.5-2 m. Leaves are pinnate with single leaflets, terminal leaflets trifoliate. Young leaves green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: June (outdoors, always before Viticellas) on current year’s growth. Hardy in USDA zones 6-9.
Selective Early Flowered Hybrid × Viticella cross. Profuse, fairly early bloomer with medium sized flowers. Flower buds are semi-drooping Viticella type.
‘Xichun’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Diamond Ball’ (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls single (on new stems) to semi-double (on old stems), flat or flattish, 5-8 cm across, upward- or outward-facing. Sepals 6-29; light violet (N88C) becoming very pale violet (91D) in centre of tepal and towards base, broadly elliptic, overlapping, wavy-margined, long-pointed, tip acute, tip slightly recurved, outside of sepal with downy indumentum. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white (NN155D); connectives and anthers light yellow-green (150D); pistils creamy white. Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 1-2 m. Lvs ternate, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: April-May on current year’s and previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 惜春 惜春, Xichun, was one of the twelve beauties of Jinling in “A Dream of Red Mansions”. Semi-double flowers on old branches and single flowers on new branches. The number of flowers buds on new branches can reach 19-21.
‘Xuan Zi’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘The President’ (s) × ‘Angelique’1
REG: Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, China (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 8.7-13.2 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing, borne in a dichasial cyme. Sepals 6 or 8; moderate violet (86A), 4.3-6.6 × 1.4-3.5 cm, broadly elliptic to elliptic, overlapping, wavy-margined, tips rolled inwards to form long points; outside of sepals with white (NN155D) hairs. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white (NN155D) becoming yellow-green; connectives yellow-green; anthers light greenish yellow (4C). Seed-heads persistent, seed tail plumose. Deciduous climbing vine. Lvs ternate, lfts ovate to elliptic, downy white (NN155D) hairs on underside of leaves, green maturing to mid-green, margins entire; tip acute. FL: May and June (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 7-10.
Original script: ‘绚紫’ epithet means ‘Gorgeous Violet’ in Chinese.
1. It is suspected that this parent is actually ‘Evipo017’ Angélique.
‘Zhaojun’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Kakio’ Pink Champagne (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 8-15 cm across, upward- or outwardfacing. Sepals 8; inside white (NN155D) with light yellow-green bar becoming yellow-green distally, bar fading slightly with maturity; outside of tepals greenish white to white with broad yellow-green bar, with downy indumentum. Sepals elliptic to broadly elliptic, overlapping, rounded at tip but with a small apiculus. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white (NN155D); connectives light yellow-green; anthers light yellow. Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems up to 1-2 m. Lvs ternate, brownish green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: April on previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 昭君. 昭君, Zhaojun, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. The cultivar blooms early and has a large amount of flowers.
‘Zi Yue’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Marie Boisselot’ (s) × lanuginosa
REG: Zhejiang Institute of Subtropical Crops, China (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 12.5-16.2 cm across, borne in a dichasial cyme. Sepals 6; light violet (91B), 6.2-7.9 × 5.4-6.0 cm, elliptic to broadly elliptic, marginally overlapping, with minutely wavy margins, rounded to acute at tip but with a distinct apiculus. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments brilliant yellow-green (150C); connectives light yellow-green (144D); anthers pale greenish yellow (2D). Seed-heads persistent, seed tail plumose. Deciduous climbing vine, stems with white (NN155D) hairs. Lvs ternate, with white (NN155D) hairs, green maturing to mid-green; margins entire; tip acute. FL: May to June (outdoors) on current year’s growth. Hardy to zones USDA 7-10.
Original script: ‘紫月’ epithet means ‘Violet Moon’ in Chinese.
‘Zijuan’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Kakio’ Pink Champagne (s) × unknown
REG: Institute of Botany, Jiangsu Province and Chinese Academy of Sciences (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, flat or flattish, 8-15 cm across, upward- or outward-facing. Sepals 8; moderate purplish red (64A), elliptic to broadly elliptic, overlapping, rounded at tip but with a distinct apiculus, outside of sepals with downy indumentum. Staminodes absent. Stamens numerous; filaments white at base becoming very pale purple; connectives and anthers purplish red (64A); pollen purplish white; stigmas creamy white. Deciduous climber, with herbaceous stems u p to 1-1.5 m, stems with downy indumentum. Lvs ternate, brownish green maturing to mid-green; margins entire. FL: April on previous season’s growth. Hardy.
Original script: 紫鹃. 紫鹃, Zijuan, was a character from “A Dream of Red Mansions”. The cultivar blooms early and has a large amount of flowers.
‘Pistachio Cake’ Early Large-flowered Group
Parentage: ‘Innocent Blush’ (s) × ‘Pink Beauty’
REG: S. Marczyński (2021)
Fls hermaphrodite, single, semi-double to double, flat or flattish, 10-13 cm across, upward- or outward-facing, borne singly in axils. Sepals 8, with up to 30-60 staminodes; pale pink becoming reddish pink at sepal margins and tip, flushed yellow-green at base of sepal extending along bar distally, sepals becoming greener in more shaded areas; outside of sepals pale pink with yellow-green bar, 5.5-6 × 3.2-3.7 cm, elliptic to broadly elliptic, overlapping, with slightly wavy margins, long-pointed, tip acute. Staminodes 1-4 cm and same colour as sepals. Filaments pale greenish yellow; anthers pale yellow. Seed-heads persistent. Deciduous climber, with stems up to 1.5-1.8 m, purple-green when young maturing to mid-green. Lvs ternate, green maturing to mid-green, margins entire; tip rounded to acute, base cordate. FL: May-June (outdoors), on previous season’s growth. Hardy to USDA zones 4-9. Published refs: Clematis Źródło Dobrych Pnączy Oferta (12/11/21)
Section 5 Tributes
Jack Gittoes
29th June 1937 – 3rd January 2022
Jack Gittoes died on 3rd January 2022. He was a well-known figure in the BCS circle. He enjoyed attending meetings and visiting different places involving clematis. He supported the society on the committee for a number of years and later took on compiling and editing our newsletter. As many members know Jack was not always the easiest person to get on with as he had quite strong opinions, but he had a big heart. On a personal note, I visited him a few times down in the New Forest near Lymington. I fell in love with his dog, Woody, and Jack would send me little clips of the dog which was lovely. Jack retired from editing the Newsletter through ill health, but he still managed to get to some BCS meetings. He will be sorely missed. Lizzie Gibbison
Val Le May Neville-Parry adds: Jack and June were early members of the Wessex group of the BCS, set up by Roy Prior. When I took over the organisation of the group, they were always amongst the first to sign up for meetings and visits. I remained in regular communication with Jack until last year (2021), when we were unable to exchange visits.
‘Lavender Twirl’
Jack produced an excellent Newsletter for several years. He was conscientious and hard working on the Society’s behalf, despite being severely restricted by his growing disability. He also introduced the amazing viticella seedling, ‘Lavender Twirl’, which is often available to purchase from Richard Hodson (Hawthornes Nursery). [A short article by Jack about ‘Lavender Twirl’ is in the The Clematis, 2020-21.]
Jack’s funeral was held at the crematorium near Romsey on 1st February. There was a good attendance of BCS members: Val Le May Neville-Parry, Julian Noble, Lyn and Malcolm Ovens, Carol and Everett Leeds, Lizzie Gibbison and Annette Stevens. It was a lovely service, conducted by Jack’s friend, Canon Andrew Neaum, with a fine eulogy given by Mark, Jack and June’s son.
The following is taken from the eulogy given Mark, Jack and June’s son, at Jack’s funeral.
Jack’s life spanned 84 years. He and his twin, Jill, were born prematurely. Jack and Jill were named swiftly as they not expected to survive. Jack grew up in Lymington where he met his future wife June. After his 2 years in the Army for his National Service they married in 1961, having 2 children, Mark and Emma. Jack attended night school and got a job at Mullard in Southampton then he joined an American company, Teradyne.
The family moved to Boston, Massachusetts, for a short period. Jack’s specialism was lasers. This involved him in a great deal of travel; Europe, the US, South Africa and Japan. He became the Teradyne problem solver fixing problems others couldn’t. He was referred to as their ‘Brain in a box’.
In 1994 Jack left Teradyne and relocated to Castle Cary, Somerset, then in 1999 it was back to Pilley in the New Forest. This gave access to Beaulieu Heath for his beloved dogs Chisum and then Woody. They had a huge garden to tame where he could indulge his in interest in clematis. He introduced C. viticella ‘Lavender Twirl’ in 2011.
June died in 2018. He was consumed by grief and went through a bad patch. This was compounded by his increasing disabilities resulting from his Parkinson’s. He was able to visit Boston in the US and Devon to see former work colleagues, as well to Bury St Edmunds to hear Elkie Brooks. He gained support and help at St John’s Church in Boldre and from family and local friends.
‘Lavender Twirl’
Margaret Morris
It is with sadness I report that Margaret passed away 7th March 2022 having suffered for the past year with Motor Neurone Disease. In recent years she lived on the Isle of Wight. Margaret was one of the ‘doers’ of the Society and was always helping in the background doing something for the membership. Until a few years ago (probably at least 10!) she was the guiding force behind the sales table and would make yearly trips to the National Exhibition Centre at Birmingham to see what was on offer to raise funds.
She took on the mantle of Chair from me in 2005 serving for three years and was also a committee member for a considerable time. She would drive all over the country to find suitable venues for meetings. She had her own nursery at Sherston Parva, Wiltshire, whilst her husband John was alive. I remember we were there in our motorhome staying overnight in her car park when the news of Princess Diana’s accident was announced.
When Margaret had her Nursery she always had a stand at the RHS shows in London and also helped the Society get a stand at the Chelsea Flower Show. She enjoyed her cars and seemed to chop and change quite regularly. I recall reminding her to have a slightly less heavy right foot after she told me about a speeding ticket she had just acquired! Being a Yorkshire lass, she was an avid supporter of Sheffield Wednesday football team and would always be determined to get home on time if the BCS meeting was going over time. Oh well, another ‘oldie’ has gone. Come on you younger ones, gather up the mantle, volunteer and keep this wonderful genus in the fore-front of horticulture. Everett Leeds [this tribute appeared in the March issue of the BCS e-newsletter, In-Touch.
Margaret Morris: in Gavinana near Florence, Italy, in 2017
Jean Harley
Iam sad to let everyone know that, after a short illness, Jean Harley has passed away. She had been a member of the Society since 2018 and joined in all the activities in the Northwest. Jean was one of the willing helpers on the BCS stand at Tatton Park and she and I kept in regular touch. She only lived 5 miles from me, so I received frequent requests to come and see her clematis. These were never short visits because Jean had much to talk about.
She was an artist and sold her paintings for charity, as she did with many of her cuttings and seedlings. She was a regular contributor to the BCS annual Journal both in respect of images and short articles. Jean raised a significant amount of money for her charity during the first lock down when she put an array of plants for sale outside her front garden and invited passers-by to not only purchase some but also to walk around her garden for a small charge. Jean was one of those people that was hard to say no to, as I learned many times. At one stage she asked if I would be willing to let her have a couple of clematis to raise money for her charity. When I foolishly asked exactly how many she would like, the answer was 12. There is a saying in the North that shy bairns get nowt – Jean was never shy. Rest in Peace my friend.
Ken Black
Jean’s article about her flower paintings appeared in The Clematis, 2021-22 edition.
Jean Harley
C. koreana 'Amber'
Sketch 1 C. 'Betty Corning'
Mary Toomey
Mary Toomey: died 26th May 2022
Mary Valarasan was born in Sri Lanka and came to Ireland in 1967 to study at Trinity College University, Dublin where she gained a PhD in Ecology. She taught at Sandymount High School and wrote instructional books for use by students. She married Barry Toomey, an engineer and settled in Ireland and they had daughter Aoife (now living in the USA, married with a daughter). Apart from Ecology, her interests were Biology, Botany and Entomology and she was instrumental in setting up gardens for those with disabilities, both physical and mental.
I am not sure when Mary joined the BCS but she was Editor of the Journal from 1995 until 2001 and subsequently was made an Honorary Member. Living in Ireland she often came over and stayed with us at Buckland whilst she was here. Way into the night she would put the world to rights and put her own stamp on the topics of the day. She held very strong and forceful opinions and did not suffer fools gladly.
In 2004 the Boxing Day Tsunami struck the eastern Sri Lankan coast causing huge loss of life and damage to property. Mary set up a relief fund, Sri Lanka Tsunami Children Fund and raised money for those who had been orphaned.
She was a member of the Hardy Plant Society and within it she formed a Ranunculaceae Group that included the genus Clematis. She registered and named two clematis, C. ‘Aoife’ in 1994, a chance seedling of the Forsteri group and C. ‘Tsunami Child’ a montana grown by a friend and sold in aid of the charity.
Dr Mary Toomey with C. ‘Tsunami Child’
Apart from instruction books for students she wrote many other books on varied topics, such as ‘Jamari’, 1991, a children’s book about a lonely robot, ‘The Celtic Tiger. From the outside looking in’ 1998, expressing her views on the social conditions and institutions in Ireland, ‘Clematis, A Care Manual’, 1999 and updated in 2002, ‘An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Clematis’ with Everett Leeds & Charles Chesshire, 2001, ‘Pocket Guide to Clematis’ with Everett Leeds & Charles Chesshire, 2006. We are sure there are others too.
Always in demand as a speaker on many topics, not only in the UK but world-wide, she would hold an audience in the palm of her hand without notes, illustrating the topic with great passion and irrespective of how large the venue was, those at the very back could hear her clearly. Her mind was like a machine, turning over and over with ideas and comments, so much so that observers would gain the impression she was taking over the topic. In some circumstances this did not endear herself to her colleagues. It is with great sadness we learned of her passing, she was truly a ‘one off’, very talented individual.
Dr Mary Toomey with the BCS committee in 1996. L. to R. Janet Brunswick, Mike Brown, Richard Stothard, Betty Risdon, Ben Clifton, Dr Mary Toomey, John Maskelyne, Joy Anderson, Roy Nunn, Gill Lacey (Chair), Malcolm Freeman, Everett Leeds, Vince Denny, Brian Cromie.
Everett Leeds & Mike Brown.
Glenis and Eric Dyer
Cavan, Vanessa and I met Glenis and Eric Dyer through being members of the BCS way back in 1992. A friendship grew between us and Glenis and Eric were part of our lives from that time.
When Glenis volunteered on the BCS stand at Malvern Show I enjoyed being with her on the stand listening and learning from her enormous wealth of garden knowledge. In the Malvern Show BCS stand lunch breaks we would go around the plant stalls looking at all on offer – well, I was looking Glenis was buying! All the time Glenis would be explaining to me why she wanted the plants, their growing habits etc.
I don’t quite remember when we were first invited to Eric and Glenis’s garden; it may have been a generous invite from them or indeed a BCS visit to the garden – how we came to go is irrelevant – the fact is we were enchanted. We were kindly given an open invitation to visit any time and grabbed the invite with both hands. Roaming around their splendid garden has given many hours of joy; I came to know the garden as well as my own.
Generosity in knowledge is one thing but Glenis and Eric were generous in many ways. I quickly learnt not to admire too many plants when going around the garden as our car boot had limited capacity! Once Glenis could see you really liked a plant she would shoot off to the shed and return with a spade and dig up part of the plant and gift it to you.
I know I am not alone in being the recipient of such generosity.
We always tried to attend their NGS open days; seeing the garden admired by so many was a pleasure. The wibbly wavy wall, a brainchild of Eric’s, adorned with Abutilon megapotamicum was always a favourite of mine. The refreshments were a favourite of my daughter and husband – homemade cake and unlimited tea. My husband is a quiet man (he says I can talk enough for both of us) as was Eric, so both were comfortable in each other’s company talking about garden structures, building and other things men talk about. Glenis and I perused the garden and talked about the fabulous Clematis collection it held.
We always felt welcome whenever we visited them or when we had a meal together. You know that feeling when you go anywhere, and friends are also there, and you look across and spot them and a smile and a feel-good feeling comes over you? Well, that was how we felt when we saw Glenis and Eric, the best part being that same smile and look was on their faces.
In later years Eric’s heath began to fail and he became more withdrawn. Our last visit was on 30th of July this year (2022) when Eric had been in hospital for some weeks. Glenis was well but she missed Eric very much and it showed. A few days later her daughter phoned to say Glenis had suffered a serious stroke. Eric died just a few days later and Glenis within days had gone too. The news devastated us beyond words. We thought of the blow this double loss must have been to their children and grandchildren.
At the funeral their daughters said “Mum and Dad now walk down the garden path together again”; so moving a sentence. That is how we will remember them along with having the honour of their friendship for many years. R.I.P Eric and Glenis.
Josie, Cavan and Vanessa Hulbert
Eric Dyer died in hospital on 8th August 2022 after periods in and out of hospital in the preceding months. Glenis suffered a severe stroke and died in hospital on 13th August 2022. They joined the BCS soon after it was formed. They were active in many aspects of the Society including the Malvern Show for many years, initially Glenis worked with Margaret Morris then just with Eric’s support. Glenis served as vice-chair of the Society under Margaret Morris and as membership secretary. In that role she used to undertake the mailing out of publications for several years. Glenis is noted as someone who was generous with her plants and knowledge. Their garden was a delight and they welcomed visitors including several visits by the Midland Group. She gave many talks about clematis over a long period, again several to the Midland Group. They will both be missed. We have sent condolences from the BCS to their family, Angela, Carolyn and Stephen and the grandchildren.
Glenis and Eric in their garden June 2020
All our plants are 2 year old mature specimens and are grown here in Yorkshire in large 2 litre pots on 3 feet canes, this means they are fully hardy and plantable 52 weeks a year. Our couriers operate a very fast service Monday to Friday at very reasonable prices.
